Just Another Face in the Crowd
by geekyclassic
Summary: Caroline's fresh start in New York City has not gone according to plan. Thankfully she has an interview at Mikaelson's Auction House. Klaus is the director of security for his family's business. What will happen when a woman desperate to keep secrets and a man determined to find the truth behind the lies meet? AH/AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Since my first story received such positive feedback (thank you everyone who reviewed!), I've decided to start posting this story as well. It's going to be a long, slow burn this time. A multi-chapter AU/AH Klaroline. I'm a few chapters ahead at the moment and will try my best to keep it that way. I plan to post a chapter a week, unless life gets crazy and I can't keep up the pace.**

**Thank you very much to my beta for all her hard work: semi colons are evil and I'm glad to have someone who can tame them! As per usual, TVD does not belong to me, only the plot of this story does. **

Just Another Face in the Crowd

Chapter 1

Caroline stepped off the train, squeezing her way between the bodies of hurried New Yorkers. The morning rush had packed the subway station with impatient commuters, and Caroline was thankful to get back above ground and feel the sunlight on her face. She took a moment to pause: looking up at the towering high rises, smelling car exhaust mixed with coffee wafting from the café nearby. The pulse of the city hummed through her body.

Breathing deeply she straightened her blazer, smoothed her skirt and held her head high, shoulders back.

'_You can do this Caroline.'_ She thought to herself.

It was just a job interview after all. An important job interview, now that her initial plan had fallen through. Having left the Art Museum of Chicago a few weeks ago for an opportunity to work in New York City, she had been more than slightly disappointed to find she had not gotten the job she had interviewed for at the Museum of Modern Art. MoMA's reputation as one of the most cutting edge art museums in the world had really appealed to her, even if she personally preferred more classical pieces. So here she was, in her best outfit: black pencil skirt, white silk blouse with a bow at the neck, burgundy blazer, and killer black heels. Her hair was up in a tight bun and she had oval shaped glasses perched on her nose. She looked professional, accomplished, controlled and feminine. It was time to tackle 'Plan B': Mikealson's Auction House.

When things had fallen through at with MoMA, Caroline had been determined to find something, anything, in New York. Going back to Chicago was not an option. Thankfully for Caroline three things were in her favour 1) the art and antiquities world was small, 2) Caroline had good connections who kept her in the loop and, 3) Mikaelson's Auction House had an unorthodox interview process.

Mikaelson's was a relatively new auction house, having come into prominence firstly in England about 30 years ago and branching out stateside at the turn of the millennium. Despite being upstarts in the auction house world, which generally loved the establishment and shunned anything that disrupted the status quo, Mikaelson's had flourished. They were known for being ruthlessly competitive in finding the most unique and valuable art and antiquities and for throwing lavish events to promote their upcoming auctions.

They were currently looking for an auction coordinator. Someone who decides which art and antiquities should be auctioned together and plans the events to promote the auctions. Caroline understood this position was very much behind the scenes. Mikaelson's was family owned and operated. The second generation Mikaelson's were the face of the company, particularly here in New York, but they relied on small team of employees to keep things running smoothly behind closed doors. As Caroline had no desire to be in the public eye, the position seemed like the perfect fit.

The interview process was one of the oddest things about the company. Caroline had heard rumours about it in the past, but this was the first time since she had started working in the art world that Mikaelson's had been hiring. They were known to be very selective and valued loyalty and longevity in their employees.

So here she was outside their New York office, about to attend her first ever, open call competitive interview. When Mikaelson's wanted a new employee, they quietly let the art and antiquities world know, through word of mouth alone, that they were looking, and when and where any interested parties should show up. Anyone who appeared to compete for the job would be considered, but had to pass a number of challenges first: a written test, a oral exam of the candidates ability to identify art and antiquities, and lastly, an interview with the head of the branch, which in New York was Elijah Mikaelson.

Caroline opened the door to Mikaelson's Auction House and confidently walked inside. She noted instantly that she was not the first to arrive, quickly counting four other candidates, although the women in the black mini skirt, low cut top, and six inch heels surely wasn't serious competition. She looked like an escort, not an art expert or an events planner.

Approaching the front desk, Caroline could feel the eyes of the other candidates on her back. She remained focused, looking straight ahead. A petite young woman with long straight black hair sat behind a large desk. She looked up as Caroline approached and smiled.

"Hello. Welcome to Mikaelson's Auction House. My name is Anna. Are you here for the interview?"

"Yes. I am." Caroline replied, meeting Anna's smile with one of her own.

"Wonderful!" Anna said, turning slightly to one side and grabbing an envelope and turning back to Caroline quickly. "Here is your package. Please look it over. It describes the schedule for the day and there are some forms we'd like you to fill out as well. We'll be starting at 9 am sharp. Can I get your name please?"

"Caroline James." Caroline answered, lowering her voice slightly. She was proud to hear how naturally the name rolled off her lips. Five years and she still worried someone would suspect she was lying. Not that she was technically lying, she had legally changed her name, but she still didn't feel like _'Caroline James'_. She reached forward to take the envelope from Anna. "Thank you."

Caroline walked back toward the other candidates and sat down in the corner, as far away from the others as she could get. She opened the envelope and removed a small bound book and two loose pieces of paper. She quickly removed a pen from her purse and began filling out the forms. Once she'd completed that task she glanced at her watch, 8:45am, and began reading through the booklet.

At 9am sharp, Caroline heard the click of high heeled shoes walking into the room. A beautiful blonde in a sleek designer dress walked in with a smirking brown haired man at her side.

She stood in front of the group of candidates and looked them over slowly.

"My name is Rebekah Mikaelson, and this is my brother Kol. We'll be leading the interview process for the morning. Those of you who meet our standards this morning will be invited back this afternoon to speak with our older brother, and director of this branch, Elijah." She spoke smoothly in a slightly bored and condescending tone.

"And since I would prefer to never have to be at the office at this ungodly hour of the morning, I hope one of you proves worthy of being in our employ." Kol added, grinning mischievously.

Rebekah looked over at him and rolled her eyes, before turning back to address the group.

"Let's begin. Follow us through to the conference room."

* * *

"How are they doing?"

Rebekah turned to face her older brother, who was seated behind a sleek glass and metal desk, thumbing through the resumes of the days' candidates.

"Well that Tiffany girl was hopeless. I'm honestly not sure why she was even here…and in that outfit! It was appalling! Not surprisingly she didn't seem to understand half the written test and after watching her struggle for half an hour, I put her out of her misery and had Kol escort her out of the building."

"And the rest?" Elijah asked casually.

"Matthias and Viktor are not performing up to standard on the art identification, at least so far. The final three, Sarah, Caroline & Willem have potential. Although, Sarah barely scraped by on the written test, her essay was poorly constructed and I heard her muttering about 'not being in high school anymore' while she was writing." Rebekah reported.

"So, Willem and Caroline are the strongest contenders." Elijah said, looking up from the resumes in his hand to look Rebekah in the eye.

"Yes" Rebekah confirmed.

"As long as they both continue to perform well in their identification exam, invite them back this afternoon for an interview. If Sarah out performs one of them on the oral exam, schedule an interview for her as well." Elijah placed the resumes down on his desk. "That's all for now. I have to call father about the day so far and pass on the names on the top three candidates to Niklaus for background checks. I'll see you after lunch sister."

* * *

Klaus slammed the door of his office in the main London branch of Mikaelson's Auction House. He paced aggressively in front of his desk, trying to divert his thoughts from what he had heard while standing outside his father's office. His phone rang loudly, interrupting his angry thoughts.

"What?" He growled.

"Hello to you too, Niklaus." Elijah spoke smoothly. "I take it your day hasn't gone as planned?"

"To what do I owe this unwanted phone call, brother?"

"As you are perfectly aware, we are currently looking for a replacement for Antoine" Elijah replied.

"He was selling information to your biggest competitor. You can't possibly be upset at me for uncovering the backstabbing, traitorous little bastard in the act, can you? It is my duty to protect our family." Said Klaus, smugly. He finally stopped pacing and sat down behind his desk. "Why are you calling?"

"I was hoping to speak to father, but he isn't answering his phone…" Elijah began

"He's a little busy at the moment, fucking his secretary" Klaus interrupted.

"Niklaus…"

"Apologies brother, I temporarily forgot your willful disregard of Mikael's true nature. You know Elijah, ignoring his misdeeds does not make them go away." Klaus lashed out, his voice full of distain.

Elijah sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He looked over to a framed photograph sitting beside his computer. It was a formal family portrait, everyone carefully positioned, not one face smiling. Even Henrik, only a toddler, looked uncomfortable. Elijah would do anything to go back in time and make those faces smile.

"I'd like you to look over the top three candidates. I'll email you everything you need. It's just a preliminary check at this point." Elijah said, all business, determined to leave their ongoing disagreement about Mikael behind him. He and Klaus had never agreed on how they each reacted to Mikael and his actions, and they likely never would.

"I'll look into it right away. By the end of the day you'll have everything you need in your inbox." Klaus replied.

Klaus hung up the phone, leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. His father's grunts and the secretary's overly enthusiastic words of encouragement still invaded his thoughts, and his disgust and loathing of Mikael simmered just below the surface.

However, Elijah was ever the calming presence in the Mikaelson family. And if he could not take away Klaus' dark mood, he did at least provide a distraction. Klaus sat up straight and turned to his computer.

It was time to do what he did best: sift through the lies and find all the secrets people thought they could hide.

* * *

"So Miss James, you have an excellent knowledge of art."

Caroline looked over the glass top desk toward Elijah Mikaelson, as he carefully leafed through a small packet of information, which she assumed contained her results from the morning's exams. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored suit and appeared every inch the man in command of a successful and lucrative New York business.

"Art is my passion," she confirmed, looking at him confidently as he raised his head to meet her gaze.

Caroline watched as he sat up straight in his office chair and faced her fully, leaning forward with his arms on his desk.

"And why should I hire you, Miss James? What can you do for my family and our business?" he said bluntly.

Caroline was surprised by Elijah's direct approach. Considering all the tests the candidates had been through and Elijah's formal attire, she'd expected him to go through her resume and test results one item at a time in great detail. He certainly wasn't wasting any time getting down to the nitty-gritty.

"Mr. Mikaelson, I'm young, unattached, and completely devoted to my work. You should hire me because I live and breathe art and antiquities. I put my whole self into my work. I have been planning events and parties since high school and no one is better at the little details than I am. None of the other candidates here today will commit themselves to your company the way I will."

If there was one thing Caroline could say with confidence, it was that work was her top priority. Honestly, as of late, it was her only priority. Anyone who had known Caroline in high school would never have believed she lacked a social life. And to be clear, Caroline's busy social calendar had continued for most of her undergrad experience in college. But things had changed. And though there were days she missed having a close knit group of friends, a party to go to every weekend, and meetings and committees to chair, she had been more than willing to trade it all for the security and anonymity for her current lifestyle.

"That's quite a promise Miss James." Elijah responded evenly, showing no outward reaction to Caroline's response.

Caroline smiled. "I'm aware I may seem over confident Mr. Mikaelson, but I know what I'm capable of. This position is an ideal fit for my expertise. And no offense to your previous employee, but hosting events and galas benefits from a woman's touch. I believe your client's will appreciate the added luxury and attention to detail I can provide to an auction, as well as my ability to put together a unique selection of art and antiquities for them to bid on." Caroline paused, glancing briefly at what must have been a photograph of the Mikaelson family on Elijah's desk. "I have no desire for the spotlight Mr. Mikaelson." She said softly, but firmly. "It would be my pleasure to do whatever I can to assist your family." Caroline finished, looking Elijah squarely in the eye.

Elijah stared at her and then looked briefly toward the photograph on his desk.

"I appreciate your consideration for my family." He turned his eyes back to Caroline. "I'll be reviewing everyone's tests scores. I will be honest; you are one of the strongest applicants. You'll hear from me personally, by the end of the week at the latest, in regards to whether you'll be filling the position."

* * *

Caroline sat crossed legged on the bed of her hotel room, slurping up the last of her ramen noodles. She was wearing her favourite grey sweat pants and a faded pink Miss Mystic Falls t-shirt. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun and her face was free of any make-up. Having spent the last few days hitting all the typical tourist traps in New York, she was pleasantly satisfied with herself, but also worn-out from her treks through various boroughs.

Putting down her now empty food container, Caroline glanced on the clock on the bedside table. 7:55pm, almost time.

Caroline got up from the bed and grabbed a small black lock box. Entering the security code quickly, she removed a cell phone. Glancing at the time again, Caroline began dialing.

"Caroline?" A soft voice said on the other end of the line. "Is that you?"

"Yes Mom, it's me." Caroline said with a smile, " Has anyone else ever called you at this number?" She teased lightly.

"We have to stay vigilant Caroline." Her mother said sternly.

"It's been five years Mom! Five years! At some point I want to be able to live my life again!" Caroline responded heatedly. Her anger faded quickly and she sighed. "I'm sorry Mom." She whispered.

"It's fine sweetie. If anyone can understand how frustrating this is, it's me. I've barely seen you for five years, we have to speak on disposable cell phones on arranged nights, and you have to find a new job, preferably in a new city, every year or two. This is not the life I envisioned you living Caroline." Liz Forbes answered honestly.

"Who could have possibly imagined this? My life has turned into a script for a ridiculous TV movie." Caroline groaned, lying back on the bed.

"Do you have any news on the job front?" her mother inquired, turning the conversation back to the present and trying to move beyond the mess they had been fighting against for the last 5 years.

"Yes!" Caroline cried excitedly, sitting up on the bed once more. "I heard back from Mikaelson's this morning. I got the job!"

"Congratulations sweetie! I knew you could do it."

Caroline smiled, hearing the smile in her mother's voice. She got up from the bed and began walking around the room, gesturing as she spoke.

"This job is just perfect for me mom. I get to party plan again. Not just for the occasional special event, like in Chicago, but regular social events for the elite of art and antiquities world. And you should have seen the art they had! It was incredible! Rembrandt, Pollack, Degas, their collection reviles the best museums in the country!" Caroline knew she was rambling, but she simply couldn't contain her enthusiasm.

"Sounds wonderful Caroline." Her mother said. "Do you think you'll have any trouble getting set up in New York? Do you need any money? I know the cost of living there is higher than Chicago." Liz asked her voice edged with concern.

"It will be fine mom. We planned for moves and expenses. Everything is in order." Caroline replied, understanding her mother's concerns, but also fully aware that her mother's small town sheriff salary didn't leave much room for luxuries.

"Caroline." Liz said seriously, "I want you to know how proud I am of you. Things have been hard…"

"Understatement of the century" Caroline interrupted.

"Yes, true. But you have handled everything with strength and determination. You are such an incredible woman Caroline."

"Thanks mom." Caroline managed to choke out. Breathing deeply, she composed herself before continuing. "I'll talk to you in a few days then, okay? I'll let you know how things go at work and when and where I get settled in the city."

"Talk to you in a few days. I love you Caroline"

"Love you too"

Caroline flopped back down on the bed of her hotel room and stared up at the ceiling. _'New York, New York. Here I come.'_

**_A/N: Thanks for reading and please review! It is incredibly motivating to know people are reading what I write. It kinda blows my mind, thankfully not literally;)_**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm posting two chapters today! Thankfully the writing is going well so far. Once again, I do not own TVD, only this plot.**

* * *

Caroline glanced to her left, watching the rain run down her bedroom window, as she savoured a few extra minutes under the warmth of her comforters.

Nine months. Nine months in New York City. Almost a full year at her dream job. Some days it still seemed too good to be true. But it was real, as real as the weather outside. She had watched leaves flutter by her window and snow blow by, fall followed by winter. Now spring crept forward, drenching the city in cleansing downpours.

Caroline rolled herself out of bed, and dragged herself to her kitchen to turn on the coffee machine. Then she twisted around, and switched on her radio. As the voices of the morning radio hosts rang out into her shoebox-sized apartment, Caroline bopped happily back to her room to pick out an outfit for the day.

It was nice to finally feel so happy. She loved New York. It buzzed with energy and life. Her apartment in Greenwich Village was miniscule, but it was exactly where she wanted to be. She was minutes away from the subway, and had a short commute to work. She ran through Washington Square Park three times a week, and there were cafes with music and poetry readings around every corner. Caroline loved the artsy, forward thinking feel of the whole neighbourhood. She also appreciated the anonymity. With millions of people living in New York and thousands of tourists passing through each day, Caroline felt like just another face in the crowd, which was exactly what she wanted.

In fact, the only person outside of work who even knew her name was her neighbour down the hall, Katherine. And Katherine seemed, as far as Caroline could tell, to have no concept of privacy. She knew the name and relationship status of everyone in the building. She was a force of nature, and Caroline got caught up in the whirlwind that was Katherine Pierce the day she moved into her third storey walk-up.

Bang. Bang.

"Caroline!" A high pitched voice shouted from the hall.

'_Speak of the devil'_ Caroline smiled and moved toward her door, hopping as she tried to slip her pants on as she went.

"Just a minute Kat!" She called. Reaching for the door handle, Caroline simultaneously opened the door, slipped on her pant leg, and ungracefully fell to the floor. "Shit!"

Caroline looked up from the floor as her door opened toward her and a dainty face, with bright brown eyes and a riot of chestnut curls peered down at her.

"What the hell are you doing on the floor, Care?" Katherine said as she passed Caroline, stepping over her in a pair of six inch stiletto shoes, and came into the apartment.

"I tripped on my pants," Caroline muttered, picking herself up off the floor, and looking at Katherine, who scoffed and arched her eyebrows. "Hey! I haven't had my coffee yet!" She defended. Looking directly at Katherine, she arched her own eyebrows, "What are you doing here first thing in the morning anyway? You know I have work today."

"I'm out of coffee." Katherine stated. "You have some. I need some. Ergo, here I am." She replied sweetly.

"Urg, seriously? That has been your excuse for the past two weeks. I don't have time to chat this morning; I have to be out of here in 15 minutes to catch the subway." Caroline said, slightly flustered at being caught half dressed after lounging in bed longer than she had intended.

"Come on Caroline, you know I can't go to the office without my caffeine fix, I'll be an even bigger bitch than usual." She said grinning. "You go finish getting dressed, and I'll pour us both some coffee," Caroline opened her mouth to comment, but Katherine continued, "And I'll put your coffee in your travel mug. And while you're getting dressed you are going to fill me in on the latest office gossip." She directed , shooing Caroline away from her.

Caroline shook her head as she stepped back into her room.

"I knew you weren't just here for the coffee!"

Caroline began rummaging through her closet to find a blouse to wear with her burgundy dress pants. She could hear Katherine pouring the coffee in the kitchen. As she was pulling a midnight blue blouse dotted with delicate little white birds over her head, she heard Katherine call out.

"So what's the news Caroline? Any more rumours about the mysterious missing Mikaelson?"

Caroline sighed. She probably never should have told Katherine about the gossip at work. Ever since she'd casually mentioned that the whole New York branch was buzzing about the yearly security inspection and the arrival of the only Mikaelson sibling Caroline had yet to meet, Katherine had been stopping by several times a week to get the latest news. She was just incapable to not sticking her nose in everyone's business and once she got scent of a rumour, she went after it like a bloodhound tracking an escaped convict.

"Nothing new since last week" she replied as she walked into the kitchen and saw Katherine perched on her kitchen counter, coffee mug in hand. Katherine passed her a steaming travel mug and she sipped her coffee gratefully. "The security check is supposed to start in the next few weeks, but they aren't telling us exactly when. Trying to keep us on our toes I guess." She shrugged.

"Trying to surprise you, so people can't cover their asses, more likely."

As someone who worked as a paralegal at one of the top law firms in the city, Katherine was accustomed to shady behaviour. Caroline wouldn't describe herself as a naively trusting person, certainly not anymore, but she believed that most people were decent and not trying to rip off their employers or employees, a view Katherine did not share.

"Well, I hope you get some juicy tidbits over the next few days." Katherine grabbed her mug of coffee and drained it back in one gulp. "I'm assisting on a very high profile case, so I'll practically be living at the office for the week." She jumped lightly off Caroline's counter, landing gracefully, despite her high heels. "So, girl's night this weekend." She said, pointing her finger at Caroline. "You. Me. A couple bottles of wine, and a Leonardo DiCaprio movie marathon. Deal?"

"Deal." Caroline smiled. It was incredibly nice to have a friend again. Snatching a granola bar from her cupboards to eat on the subway, Caroline turned back to Katherine, ready to head out for the day. "Sorry to cut this short, but I've got to run Kat. I'll pick up a couple movies; say Romeo & Juliet and The Beach. You grab the wine?"

"It's a date!" Katherine confirmed.

They walked out of Caroline's apartment together and then separated. Both headed off to different subway stations, off to start the daily grind.

* * *

Klaus opened the door to the Mikaelson's New York penthouse. His eyes were immediately drawn to the floor to ceiling windows overlooking Central Park. And just as quickly distracted by the piles of pizza boxes covering the leather sofa, the bottles of empty beer and liquor on the sleek modern coffee table, and the unmistakable scent of stale smoke in the air.

Stepping further into the apartment, and venturing down the hall toward the bedrooms, Klaus stepped around random pieces of clothing, including a tiny bright pink thong. Just as he was about to try a door, praying the bedroom behind it would be empty, the bedroom door at the end of the hallway crashed open, revealing a very naked man.

"Brother!" Kol exclaimed happily, making no attempt to cover himself. "Didn't expect you here until next week."

"You don't say." Klaus answered dryly. "I'm assuming no one is occupying this room?" he gestured toward the door to his right.

Kol held up a finger, and ducked his head back into the room behind him. Moments later, he turned back to Klaus and replied, "Should be clear. Both the beauties I had over last night are still in my room." He smirked.

Klaus managed not to roll his eyes, but couldn't prevent his brows from rising slightly in annoyance. He opened the bedroom door, peeked in to confirm it was truly empty and chucked his suitcase inside.

Meeting his younger brother's eyes again, Klaus laid out his expectations. "I'm going to the office to see Elijah. I expect that when I return tonight you'll have had a cleaning service through to make this place spotless. There will be food in the fridge and a fully stocked liquor cabinet. Overnight guests, beauties or not, will not be welcome during my stay." He stated firmly.

"Come on Nik! Live a little! You're in the city that never sleeps. We're young, we're rich, and this penthouse should be full of lovely ladies!" Kol argued, gesturing toward the apartment with a grand sweep of his arms.

"I am here for business. I will potentially be bringing sensitive information home. I will not tolerate strangers." Klaus said gruffly.

"I'll agree to the clean-up and the re-stocking, I'll even get your favourite scotch. We'll negotiate on the overnight guests." Kol said flippantly.

Klaus rubbed his temples, feeling the jetlag hitting him. He was in no mood to continue this conversation. Knowing Kol, he would drag it out for as long as possible, hoping to wear Klaus down by being as irritating as possible.

"Fine. We'll negotiate terms when I get back." He grumbled, turning to walk back to the front door. He paused and turned back, staring threateningly at his brother. "There better be scotch when I get back, Kol. I am in no mood to drink any of that swill you have strewn around the living room. And put some bloody clothes on!" He growled, striding through the front door and slamming it behind him.

* * *

"I heard, when he went to the Italy branch, he found one of the art dealers the Mikaelson's worked with had connections to the mob. No one has seen that guy since! The official story is the mob took the guy out, afraid of exposure. But Giorgio, the accountant in Italy, told me that the police brought several people in for questioning from the Italy branch: including Klaus Mikaelson."

Caroline glanced over her shoulder, watching Richard from accounting, dramatically recounting his tale.

"He was questioned by the police for over 8 hours and brought back for further questioning! They thought he was connected to the disappearance. But they couldn't prove anything. He is way too careful to get caught."

The group of people around him waited until they were sure his story had ended, and then broke out into frantic whispers, and fidgeted uneasily in their chairs.

At the other end of the lunch room, Caroline sat with the five women of the New York branch. Anna, the front desk receptionist was the youngest, at 21, while Gertrude, the art restorer, was the oldest, at 65. Caroline, Leslie and Ashley rounded out the group. Every one of them had heard Richard talking and Caroline could see some uncomfortable looks at their table as well.

Just as the tension seemed thick enough to cut it with a knife, Leslie, Elijah's personal secretary, broke the silence.

"Well, I for one am looking forward to seeing Klaus Mikaelson again." She stated smugly. "I know I haven't done anything wrong, so everything will be fine." She said confidently. Looking at the still worried faces around her, Leslie leaned forward, a gleam in her eye, "Speaking of fine…Klaus is one fine specimen of a man. I look forward to watching that ass walk into Elijah's office again." She said, wagging her eyebrows suggestively.

"He is a very well formed young man," Gertrude agreed, her German accent cutting into the consonants sharply.

Well, if Gertrude thought he was 'well formed', this guy had to be gorgeous. Earlier in the year, Mikaelson's had auctioned off famous movie costumes, including the amazing gown worn by Drew Barrymore when she goes after her prince in 'Ever After'. Gertrude had walked by as Caroline was putting the finishing touches on the mannequin, and when Caroline had asked for her opinion, she'd said 'It's nice, I suppose.' An underwhelming response to a gown Caroline had dreamt of wearing when she was a teenager, to say the least.

Not that Caroline was surprised that Klaus Mikaelson was, supposedly, quite nice to look at. He was a Mikaelson after all, and she had yet to meet a Mikaelson man who didn't look like they stepped off the cover of GQ.

"So you ladies were both here last year," she said, looking at Leslie and Gertrude. "What, exactly, can we expect from this security check? And from Klaus?" Caroline asked.

Sure it would be nice to have some eye candy, but she was really getting tired of all this mystery surrounding the security check. Caroline had a few bits of personal information that she would very much like to keep private. She really didn't care if Klaus Mikaelson could give Ryan Gosling a run for his money in the looks department; she just wanted to know he was focused on the Auction House's business, not on the personal lives, and pasts, of the employees.

"Buzz kill much Caroline?" Ashley sneered. "I wanted to hear more about the hottie! Good looking, rich, with an accent. Sounds like my dream man!"

Caroline wanted to groan, but managed to keep it in. Ashley reminded her of her 16 year old self: shallow, insecure, and fooling people by acting like a diva. Except Ashley wore ridiculous fake eyelashes, that even a 16 year old version of herself would never have been caught dead in. Caroline was happy to report that she'd matured past her shallow phase when her father had been diagnosed with cancer in her junior year of high school. There's nothing like a life threatening illness to help you change your outlook on life. Ashley, however, seemed to be stuck in adolescence. She and Caroline exchanged fake smiles and forced pleasantries at work, but it was pretty obvious to everyone, particularly the ladies at the lunch table, that they couldn't stand each other.

"I agree with Caroline" Anna spoke up. "I want to know what this security check thing is all about." Looking directly at Ashley, Anna sat up straight in her chair, making herself as tall as possible, "And I hardly think one of the Mikaelson's is going to sweep you, or any one of us, off our feet. This is real life, not a romantic comedy!"

Caroline coughed to cover her laugh. Anna could be surprisingly confrontational for such a young woman. She had this inner steel to her personality that Caroline was quite fond of. Caroline knew that years ago she would have been just as outspoken as Anna, but her need to be inconspicuous had led her to hold her tongue and keep her opinions to herself.

"There is nothing at all to be worried about." Gertrude pronounced.

"Unless you've been doctoring the accounts or selling company secrets," Leslie chimed in. "But seriously girls, we are not that idiot Antoine. I think Klaus was on to him before he even got to New York." When the whole table looked at her to continue, Leslie sighed, and gave in. "Honestly, the man hovers around the office. He pokes his head into every department, he doesn't say much. He just kind of stares at you with this…look on his face, I can't really describe it. But I swear, if you had a secret to tell, it would probably just fall right out of your mouth." She said, gesturing with her fork.

Leslie paused for another moment to take another bite of her salad.

"He is a bit intimidating," she admitted. "But just do as I do: when he stares down at me, I just glance at his face, spending a little extra time on those pouty lips, and then I keep my head down and fantasize about all the naughty, naughty things I'd like him to do with that mouth of his." Leslie ended by licking her fork suggestively.

* * *

Elijah Mikaelson frowned from behind his desk as the door to his office opened, disturbing his lunch hour. He had sent his secretary away for her own lunch, and wasn't expecting any interruptions.

Recognizing the dirty blonde curls and lean form that entered his office, he immediately relaxed back in his chair.

"Niklaus, I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow." He said, looking over his brother's appearance and taking in his casual attire and wrinkled shirt. "Did you come straight from the airport?"

"No. I dropped my bags off at the penthouse, which you conveniently forgot to mention I would be sharing with Kol." Klaus said pointedly, as he sat down across from Elijah.

"Ah, yes. Well, I have been encouraging him to purchase his own flat here in New York for some time. He is frequently…distracted by other pursuits." Elijah said delicately.

"Yes, well two of those 'distractions' were with in the penthouse with him when I arrived this morning. Kol and I had a…conversation. I decided to leave before I ripped out his throat." Klaus said casually. "I don't suppose there is anywhere else you can put him while I'm in town?"

"Well having him stay with Rebekah would be a disaster." Elijah said simply. "You're staying for several months, until the gala event, correct?" Elijah inquired.

"Mother has requested that I remain here for the event, yes." Klaus grumbled, eyes downcast, looking at his feet.

"And you have agreed?" Elijah pushed, staring at his brother carefully.

Klaus raised his head and met Elijah's stare. "Yes, I have agreed to attend." He said, his mouth drawn firmly, lips pressed together tightly.

"If I may recommend my tailor," Elijah began tentatively.

"I am not interested in your tailor 'Lijah." Klaus interrupted aggressively. Watching his older brother lean back and frown at his outburst, Klaus relented. "I have already acquired an outfit from Saville Row. Mother seemed pleased." He rubbed his face with his hands, slightly embarrassed to admit he had spent that much money and time on a suit for a party he didn't even want to attend. Seeing a smile cross Elijah's face, he turned the conversation back to his plans for the day. "I have no desire to return to the penthouse, or Kol, this afternoon. I thought I might wander through the backrooms before I begin the security check."

"Ah, of course. You want to see the art." Elijah was positively grinning at him now, much to Klaus' dismay. "We have quite the collection at the moment. Our new auction coordinator has an intriguing presentation prepared for our next auction. If you'd like to take a look, I believe the art she's chosen is in with the restoration team at the moment."

Klaus frowned slightly. He was ever suspicious when things seemed to be going smoothly between himself and his siblings. Even with someone as level headed as Elijah, Klaus always seemed to be able to find conflict. But art was one of the only things all the Mikealson's could agree on. They may never agree on which artists were best, or which pieces of art were the most significant, but they could agree in the inherent value of art and its importance in history.

"Thank you, brother." Klaus conceded. "I would like to keep to the shadows for the moment. We can keep to the plan and get started on the security check next week. However, I may take you up on that offer, and wander through the restoration room."

Klaus nodded goodbye to his brother and hurried out of the room. He was anxious to have some time to observe the current art collection in solitude.

* * *

**Thank you for reading! Please review! I love getting feedback!**

**And I promise actual Klaroline interaction in the next chapter :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own TVD, only the plot of this story.**

**Hopefully the first meeting between Klaus and Caroline was worth the wait! Let me know what you think.**

* * *

Caroline flipped through her notes, head down, eyes focused on a list of all the items she had lined up for the two upcoming auctions on Saturday, just under two weeks from now. Mikaelson's didn't usually have back-to-back auctions, but Caroline had run the idea by Elijah and Rebekah, and they had decided to trial the format. The open house party to promote the auctions was planned for the Friday evening before the main events, and Caroline had already completed all the initial planning, and handed it over to Rebekah, who was in charge of finishing the final details of all the auction house's parties and events. Now, Caroline was focusing her efforts on making sure that all the art was in pristine condition for the auctions.

Caroline paused momentarily outside of the restoration room, slipping her pen onto the top of her clipboard and mentally going over the list of paintings that should be in the restoration room today: The Bacon paintings. Continuing into the room, Caroline pictured each paining in her mind and began to think through the order of presentation for the auction.

Distracted by her thoughts, she initially didn't notice that there was a man in the room. When a hint of black, in an otherwise pristine white room, hit her peripheral vision, Caroline stopped in her tracks. Looking the man up and down, Caroline could feel her irritation rising. Form fitting designer jeans, leather jacket that probably cost more than her monthly pay check, arrogant stance: all signs pointed to entitled trust fund brat, who had no responsibilities and no respect for the rules.

Caroline had, with Elijah's support, instituted a firm 'no guests or potential buyers in the restoration room' policy. It helped keep the art in top condition, it allowed the restoration crew to stay focused and work faster, and lastly it prevented the auction items from being leaked before Elijah could make an official press release. She was not about to let some entitled jerk interfere with the restoration process for the upcoming auction.

Caroline silently put her clipboard down on a nearby counter, drew in a deep breath and strode forward, shoulders back and head held high.

"Excuse me; this room is for Mikaelson's staff only." She said, her irritation sounding clearly in her voice.

Standing tall, hands on hips, Caroline put on her best 'I mean business' face, as the man turned toward her. Caroline felt her eyes widen, as she looked up at one of the most arrestingly handsome men she had ever laid eyes on. Determined not to be distracted by the chiseled jaw and stormy blue eyes in front of her, Caroline quirked her eyebrows upward, waiting for the man to respond.

"I've been in here many times before, sweetheart." The man replied nonchalantly.

Caroline tried her best to ignore how his rough, accented voice made her insides melt.

"Well, you obviously haven't been here in quite some time then, because no one, absolutely no one, aside from Mikaelson's staff is allowed in the restoration room. I know every member of our staff, and you are not one of them. Therefore, you will leave." Caroline looked at him hard, eyes flashing. "Now."

The man titled his head to the side, as if considering her words. Then he leant forward, pushing his way into her personal space. "And who are you exactly?" His voice casual, but his body language aggressive.

Refusing to be cowed, Caroline crossed her arms in front of her body, and jutted out her chin. "I am the woman who instituted the rule to keep visitors out of the restoration room, regardless of how much money they have in their bank account!"

"You're making assumptions." He murmured threateningly.

Caroline met his hard gaze, refusing to back down, no matter how sexy he was, or how his voice made her stomach flip, especially when he sounded so dangerous, like the bad boy from a trashy TV drama. And those lips! Good god, no man should have lips like that! The bottom one looked like it was jutting out, just waiting for her to lean forward and tug it gently between her teeth…

Mentally shaking herself out of her completely inappropriate (and unwanted!) daydream, Caroline opened her mouth to continue telling this insolent, infuriating man to get the hell out of the restoration room, but he spoke before she could.

"I was just admiring the art." He smiled subtly, leaning away from her and gesturing toward the painting behind him, all traces of aggression suddenly gone. "It's one of my favourite Bacon's." He said, facing the hauntingly dark piece of art.

Caroline watched as he looked over the painting, his whole being seemingly absorbed in taking in every detail. His eyes looked sad, but full of understanding, as if he could identify with the distorted, lone figure of the painting. Caroline had always found Bacon's work a bit dark for her taste, but yet impossible to turn away from. 'Man in Blue IV', the painting before her was not expected to be a big seller at the auction. However, Caroline would have to concede, it was one of her favourite Bacon's as well.

"It's full of longing." She said quietly, moving beside him, her focus on the deep blues and eerie whites on the canvas. "Like the man is sinking helplessly into the darkness, and you can't help but want to reach out, take his hand, and lead him back into the light."

Caroline was fixed on the painting, thinking of the demons that haunted Bacon during his life and inspired his art. Disturbed by the feeling of being closely observed, she turned toward the man standing to her right.

"As a lover of art then, I'll appeal to your desire to preserve art as the artist intended." Caroline said, keeping her voice even, but authoritative. "We've asked all visitors to refrain from entering the restoration room in order to keep the art as pristine as possible. So I would ask again, please leave."

"Were you asking before? I must have missed that, love." He was grinning at her, revealing a set of dimples that made him look boyish and sweet. It was such a complete departure from the man who had pushed his way into her personal space mere moments earlier that it left her feeling unbalanced. "But since you asked so nicely, I'll leave you to your work."

He dipped his head slightly, almost as if he was mock bowing at her, slipped around her and headed to the door.

Just before he reached his destination, he turned back to face her.

"When I speak to Elijah later, and complain about being interrupted from observing his latest acquisitions, who should I say rudely demanded I leave the room?"

Caroline steamed at the know-it-all smirk on his face. _'So he thinks throwing names around is going to scare me?'_

"I'm Caroline James, the auction coordinator." She said, quite assured of her place and knowing Elijah fully supported her decision to close the restoration room to visitors.

"Caroline." He said her name slowly, like he was savouring some sort of rich dessert and he wanted the taste to linger in his mouth as long as possible. "Perhaps I'll see you again, Caroline. It has been a pleasure." The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, as if he was highly amused by their recent encounter. Before Caroline could throw his question back at him, and ask his name, he turned and left the room.

* * *

Klaus heard the door close behind him, and was sorely tempted to turn around, open it again, and poke his head into the restoration room, sneaking one more look at the fiery new auction coordinator who had so confidently dismissed him from the room. She had certainly been an unexpected surprise. There has been something about her, something that caused him to challenge her, not just because he believed he was right, but because he wanted to see how she would react. She didn't disappoint: blue eyes flared, cheeks flushed, pink lips pursed. Klaus' hands had itched to touch her, to paint her, to capture her somehow, in all her self-righteous glory.

Klaus walked slowly down the hall, toward the back exit of the auction house, absorbed in his thoughts. He hoped to slip out unnoticed, find a corner in some run down café, and sketch. He found himself suddenly quite inspired.

"Nik!" A high-pitched, feminine squeal interrupted his escape.

Klaus turned quickly, just in time to see a red blur, with blond hair, rushing toward him. Reacting instinctively, he braced himself for impact. The force of his sister's body crashing into his chest momentarily knocked the wind right out of him. As he caught his breath, he felt her arms snake around him and squeeze him tight.

"Rebekah," he mumbled, looking down at the top of his sister's head. "Fancy meeting you here."

Rebekah pulled back from him, holding him at arms length, her brow creased in a frown.

"I haven't seen you in almost a year! You haven't called in months! You were going to leave without coming to see me, I know it!" As she ranted, she let go of him, stepped back, and stomped her foot to emphasize each point. "How could you Nik? You know how I miss you." She pouted up at him.

"You seem to have survived." He said dryly.

"Well, I am very resilient." She smiled smugly. "Have you been to the penthouse yet?" She asked, face innocent, but eyes twinkling.

"I have. And if you would like to see me again, or have any sort of contact with me at all, I suggest you warn me the next time I will be sharing a living space with Kol. Or better yet, find me another place to stay, far away from our dear brother." Klaus said.

"Honestly Nik, I thought you were made of sterner stuff. You can't possibly let Kol get the better of you." Rebekah smiled sweetly.

Not buying Rebekah's innocent act for a second, and refusing to be baited, Klaus had the sinking feeling he was going to have to make the best of his living situation. Rebekah had a flat of her own in the city, but if he remembered correctly she was also dating some muscle bound, meathead who worked at a gym. Klaus had no desire to live under his sister's watch, or have to spend time with her steroid filled boy-toy. During one of their conversations leading up his trip to New York, Elijah had described the man as a 'Neanderthal' and bemoaned his lack of appreciation for tea. Klaus simply did not have patience for idiots. Plus if the man didn't like tea, he no doubt had no appreciation for quality scotch, he likely drank that bland, watered down stuff the American's called beer.

"I was on my way out." He said, trying to get back to his original goal. Perhaps when he had some time on his own, he could figure out how he has going to convince Kol to limit his female 'guests'.

"Maintaining your air of mystery until next week, are you?" Rebekah teased.

"My reputation serves me well." He replied simply.

"Very well, brother. Off with you!" She shooed him, arms waving toward the door. "But I expect you to take me out for dinner. Tomorrow evening. 'La Bernadin.' You make the reservation."

Klaus watched her turn sharply on her heel, and walk away, her expectations clear. He glanced skyward, and wondered how many people he'd have to manipulate and bribe to get a table at La Bernadin with one day's notice.

* * *

Caroline leaned her back firmly against the door of her apartment, surprised her legs were still holding her up. After her encounter with the unknown stranger in the restoration room, she had been on edge all afternoon. She had snapped at Anna for coming into her office unannounced, although she usually welcomed visits from the young woman. They often spent slow afternoons talking about Anna's studies: her courses, her profs, and her annoying classmates. Today, Anna had left her office; head down, shoulders hunched, and Caroline had immediately been swamped with guilt.

Despite her efforts to calm down during her commute home, her emotions were swirling around; creating a large pool in the pit of her stomach that felt like it was going to revolt against her at any second.

That man, whoever he was, had made her do things, say things, feel things, she hadn't allowed herself to feel in years.

As her legs started to shake uncontrollably, Caroline let her body slide slowly to the floor. She felt overwhelmed with emotion, and memories. Memories of the last time she had been so instantly, and in the end regrettably, attracted to a man. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Caroline pushed herself off the floor.

'_I am not going to wallow around, letting some memory ruin my life. I am stronger than that.'_

She kicked her shoes off and stomped into the kitchen, taking comfort in the feeling of her bare feet hit the solid floor beneath her. Caroline threw open the fridge, and started grabbing items: tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, fresh oregano. Turning to the counter, Caroline pulled out her cutting board, and got down to business. Nothing clears the mind quite like making spaghetti sauce from scratch.

_Caroline could feel her body humming with desire. Callused hands brushed over her skin, leaving goose bumps in their wake. Her breath hitched as those hands traced around the underside of her breasts, teasing her, making her moan in anticipation. Her legs moved restlessly, desperate for contact, for friction._

_As if sensing her need, the man with the teasing hands stopped his light touches, shifting his body and pressing himself firmly between her thighs. Caroline grasped his broad shoulders, feeling his muscles flex beneath her hands, pulling him, needing him, closer to her. Sighing at the feel of his skin flush against hers, Caroline felt her eyes open. _

_She watched her hands roam over smooth shoulders, reaching up toward a strong jaw, and angular chin. Her eyes moved over a full mouth, inching its way toward hers, turning her insides to liquid. Continuing upward, Caroline moved her gaze slowly, savouring each inch of the handsome face before her, anticipating the rush of seeing those same stormy eyes from earlier today raking over her with desire._

_Finally reaching her destination, Caroline jerked back in shock when she was met with murky brown eyes, instead of blue. The lush lips that had been there only moments ago are now replaced with tight thin lips, twisted with anger. Her arms fell to her sides, suddenly heavy and out of her control. Caroline was desperate to move, to flee, but all her limbs were frozen. Eye wide, breathing ragged, Caroline opened her mouth to scream, only to be thwarted by a hand covering her mouth._

_Gaining control of her body, Caroline squirmed frantically to no avail, finding her legs trapped under heavy thighs, and her body crushed under a firm male chest. Bucking her hips and biting with her teeth, Caroline felt the hand over her mouth press down more forcefully, pushing her head into her pillow. Strong, hard hands gripped her arms with bruising strength, holding her body as they wanted, keeping her pinned beneath him, powerless to escape._

_Feeling dread creep into her bones, Caroline jerked her legs, trying to kick her suppressor with everything she had. Her breathing devolved into frantic gasps, her lungs crying out for air. Tears threatened to spill over, but Caroline refused to give in._

'_I will not let this happen to me. I will not. I cannot. I can't bear it…' Her thoughts flew uncontrollably through her mind, suffocating her just as much as the hand on her mouth. 'I can't do this again. Never again. Please.'_

Caroline's head jerked up, eyes open, staring at the blackness of her bedroom. Caroline sat up slowly, wiping away the tears that had formed in her eyes. Reaching over clumsily, she flicked on the light on her bedside table, and peered out over her room, trying to control her breathing. Caroline could feel the sweat sticking her tank top to her back, and trapping her hair to the back of her neck.

Caroline leaned back against the headboard of her bed, feeling the wood cool her overheated body. Soft light illuminated her room, falling on her favourite Van Gogh print hanging above her dresser, and the clothes she had draped over the chair by her closet for work tomorrow morning.

Tipping her head back, Caroline sighed as shivers racked her body. It had been years since she'd had a nightmare like that. So terrifying, so haunting, so real.

Oh, how she ached to forget. But even now, after five years of reinventing herself, the memories remained. Five years of hiding, of running, of learning to be a new Caroline, and yet, the old Caroline lingered.

Minutes passed, and Caroline finally fells the pace of her breathing slow and her hands stop shaking. Her mind had almost let go of the dream, which seemed to insist on remaining in her thoughts.

As she turned off her light, and tucked herself back under her covers, Caroline closed her eyes and watched images drift through her mind. They are not visions of brown eyes, or an angry mouth. Instead her night continues peacefully, full of calloused hands and full lips, leaning down to brush against the nape of her neck, and accented words of longing whispered in her ear.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please review, your feedback is amazing!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So, I hope everyone was as blissed out as I was last night. Although I wasn't completely happy with everything, I still can't get over the SMILES! Sexiest, best smiles ever. Thanks you Joseph and Candice, that was amazing.**

**Thank you also to my betas: Sci-Fi Christian and Emily. You ladies are awesome. Thank you also to all of you who have read, reviewed, followed and favourited this story. I am so flattered that you've liked it so far! As always, TVD does not belong to me, just the plot of this story.**

* * *

Chapter 4

Caroline sat at her desk, cloistered away from prying eyes, counting down the minutes until the week was over. After a rough start on Monday, with the enigmatic intruder in the restoration room, Caroline had made every effort to turn her luck around through sheer force of will. She had brought in coffee for Anna on Tuesday morning, apologized for her uncharacteristically rude behavior, citing stress over the double auction as the cause of her slip up. She had then volunteered to help Anna with her art history paper, spending most of her Tuesday and Wednesday evenings editing a 20 page behemoth on tapestries in the middle ages. Anna had been extremely grateful, Caroline was an excellent paper writer, it had been her forte in grad school, but she was absolutely exhausted. Between the double auction preparations, paper editing, and nights plagued by dreams, nightmares and erotic fantasies alike, she felt as if she needed to sleep for a week.

Rubbing her eyes, hoping to stay awake and aware until the clock hit five, Caroline reminded herself she only had forty three minutes to go. Then she could go home, make some chamomile tea, eat cereal for supper, watch Friend's reruns, and go to bed by 8 o'clock.

A light knock interrupted her thoughts. Caroline sat up straight, hoping she looked less tired than she felt.

"Come in."

Seeing a man with brown hair and a perfectly tailored suit enter her office, Caroline quickly stood behind her desk.

"Mr. Mikaelson!" Caroline said, unable to disguise her surprise. Elijah Mikaelson seldom dropped by, she almost always met him in his spacious corner office, and he had never arrived unannounced before. "I'm sorry; did we have a meeting today?" She smiled quizzically, brows drawn, afraid that in her exhausted stupor she might have forgotten something as important as a meeting with her boss.

"No, no. Please sit down Miss James." Caroline slowly sat back down, watching as Elijah sat in a chair across from her, adjusting his tie as he leaned back. "I'm sorry to drop by unexpectedly; it wasn't my intention to catch you off guard." His brown eyes looked calm, yet serious. Caroline had always found it hard to get a read on what Elijah was thinking; he hid himself and his emotions very well, and today was no exception.

"No need to apologize, Mr. Mikaelson. I was just surprised."

"Of course." Caroline watched as he folded his hands in front of him, making himself comfortable. "I just wanted to commend you on your preparations for the auctions next weekend. You have kept things running very smoothly. I believe the party and the auction will be quite successful."

Although Caroline was extremely pleased to receive such positive feedback, she couldn't prevent her brows from furrowing slightly, as Monday's encounter crept into her mind.

"Unless there have been some complications of which I am not aware?" Elijah probed delicately, in response to Caroline's frown.

"Oh, no! I…no, everything is going very well. Right on schedule as you say." She fumbled. "I just…earlier this week, on Monday afternoon, there was a man in the restoration room…" Caroline felt unsure of how to continue without saying something insulting about the mysterious visitor, who could well be an important client.

"A man?" Caroline glanced back at Elijah, meeting his now more intense look.

"Yes. I was going to make sure things were moving along as planned in restoration, and there was a man I had never seen before looking at the Bacon paintings. I'm not sure who he was, he never gave me his name, but I informed him, in no uncertain terms, that he would have to leave the room." She said firmly, deciding to take the stance that the art was more important than the man in question. "It seems he was unaware of the new policy regarding visitors in the restoration room." Pausing momentarily, Caroline continued, determine to be as honest, but diplomatic. "He mentioned he might speak to you about our encounter. I think he was…disappointed. He seemed to have a deep appreciation for art."

Caroline watched as Elijah absorbed her words. His brows had lowered slightly and he appeared to be slightly confused. But Caroline also thought, just for a moment, that the corner of his mouth had twitched, as if he was about to smile. Before Caroline could be sure, he spoke.

"I admire your determination to implement the new regulations, Caroline. I'm sorry if the encounter was troublesome for you. I believe I may know the man you saw. I will speak to him personally." His response was controlled, betraying none of the earlier hints of emotion Caroline had thought she'd seen.

Elijah stood carefully, readjusting his suit jacket as he walked to the door. He paused before leaving, turning back to her slowly.

"I also wanted to mention that we will be gathering all the staff for a meeting Monday morning. Please clear your schedule and gather all the staff in your department. We'll be meeting in the conference room at 9am." He said casually.

Before Caroline could respond, or ask any of the many questions that had popped into her head, _'A meeting about what? Why are you telling me now? Who else knows?'_, he slipped out the door.

Caroline sat at her desk frantically calling everyone in the restoration department to give them the heads up about the last minute schedule change. She couldn't control the worried thoughts and ridiculous theories about the Monday morning meeting running through her mind until her cell phone alarm pierced through the silence. Five o'clock. Almost time for sleep. Definitely time to head home and stop thinking about the week that was. Unfortunately, Caroline was now more than a little concerned about the week to come.

* * *

The elevator dinged cheerily, and Elijah strode out into the hallway, striding confidently toward the door of the Central Park penthouse. As he approached the door, his step hitched, as raised voices drifted down the hall.

"Are you insane? Why did you do that?"

Elijah couldn't make out the muffled reply, but he quickened his pace, determined to get to the penthouse as quickly as possible. Finding his spare keys, he opened the door and took in the scene before him. Kol was circling the couch, ranting pointedly at the man seated calmly upon it. Klaus was lounging comfortably, legs stretched out, sketchbook in his lap, pencil moving, seemingly oblivious to the lecture he was currently receiving.

"You just can't do that, Nik!" Kol yelled, flinging his hands skyward.

"Do what exactly?" Elijah interjected, watching both his brothers' turn to look at him, previously unaware of his arrival. "What has happened?" _'This time'_ he added silently.

Kol jumped at the chance to continue his tirade. "Him! He happened!"

Elijah turned his gaze form Kol, to Klaus, who was now drawing again, refusing to look up at his younger brother.

"Niklaus?" Elijah prompted.

"I simply came home." Klaus answered. "I'm really not sure what the issue is."

"Simply came home, my arse!" Kol protested. "I was entertaining a young lady-"

"Shagging her on the kitchen counter." Klaus corrected, head down, still consumed with his sketching.

"I was 'engaged' with a young lady." Kol continued, "He waltzed into the penthouse, and instead of politely leaving, he stood there, took his shirt off and scared the shit out of Britney!"

Elijah rubbed his fingers over his forehead, not sure how to respond to the juvenile dispute between his two remaining younger brothers.

"Britney hmm." Klaus said quietly. "I thought you were calling her Julie during your…engagement."

"Britney, Julie, what does it matter, Nik. She saw you come in, look us over and start stripping, and completely freaked out! I've never had a woman run away from me so fast! Women don't run away form me, I'm a sexual virtuoso!" Kol raved.

"My apologies, Kol." Klaus said, finally putting his sketchbook down and looking at his younger brother. "But I believe I have been quite clear about how I feel about you 'entertaining' while I am staying here. I am willing to do whatever it takes to get some peace and quite."

"Do you expect me to be celibate? Because it's impossible for you to think I'm going to go three months without getting some satisfaction-"

"Enough." Elijah said lowly. "Enough of this bickering! You are both grown men, and you will resolve this, without me." Elijah looked heatedly at both of his brothers, frustrated, but not exactly shocked, that they hadn't resolved their differences after all these years.

All of the Mikaelson clan had reacted different to Henrik's death. Klaus had retreated inwards, distancing himself from everyone in everyway possible, geographically, physically, and emotionally. He had spent years away from his family, with no word of his whereabouts. When he had shown up at the family home in London, five years after Henrik's death, he had been a shadow of the young man they had all known before he left. Kol had chosen the opposite route, throwing himself into life with even more zeal and recklessness than ever before. Elijah had not believed Kol could indulge in life anymore than he had been, but apparently it was possible to bed more women, visit more exotic locales, and try more adventurous, life threatening hobbies. Elijah had watched it all unfold before his very eyes over the last ten years.

Pushing past the ridiculous conflict between his brothers, Elijah continued. "I came over to speak to Niklaus, but perhaps we can all have dinner-"

"I'm not staying here, with you two stiffs." Kol scoffed. "Stay and talk to him if you like, I'm headed out to find new entertainment." He grinned devilishly.

"Be sure to remember her name this time." Klaus smirked, giving his younger brother one last look as he headed toward the door.

"Piss off." Kol grabbed his jacket, and slammed the door behind him, leaving Klaus and Elijah alone together.

"You shouldn't antagonize him." Elijah said, as he sat down in a leather chair near the couch.

"Is that what you wanted to talk to me about? Improving my relationship with Kol?" Klaus had his head bent, refusing to make eye contact with his brother, occupied once more with his sketches.

"No." Elijah said bluntly. He was under no illusions that he could seriously change Klaus' behavior or attitude in any way. "I see you're drawing again." Elijah said neutrally, knowing full well Klaus would not discuss his personal artwork.

Klaus closed his sketchbook and put it down with a sigh. "You have my attention, brother. Please get to the point of this impromptu visit."

"I spoke to one of my employees today, Caroline James." Elijah watched his brother's face as he spoke, but so no reaction. "She mentioned running into a man in the restoration room on Monday." Elijah waited for Klaus to fill in the details of what he was sure had been a meeting between Miss James and Klaus that afternoon.

"I did meet a Caroline in the restoration room. Blond hair, glasses, bossy attitude." Klaus said easily, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "Why?"

"She said that you had implied you would be talking to me about the encounter. She seemed concerned. I have found Miss James to be an excellent employee thus far. I don't like to think of her being troubled about mysterious men wandering through the offices, especially since a simple introduction would have alleviated her worries." He explained.

"And we had agreed to keep my arrival in New York a secret until the grand reveal next week. I wasn't going to introduce myself and ruin our plans." Said Klaus, frowning at his brother. "As if she wouldn't have gone and told everybody." Klaus criticized.

"I believe if you had asked Miss James to keep your appearance a secret, she would have. She has always been very respectful of our family."

"Forgive me for not trusting the hot tempered Miss James." Klaus replied shortly.

Elijah frowned, having never found Miss James to be at all hot tempered. Klaus' description of their encounter did not sound at all like what he had been picturing in his head on the trip over to the penthouse. He had been greatly concerned that Miss James was sugar-coating her meeting with his brother, making it seem as if nothing much had happened, when in reality Klaus had likely insulted and intimidated her.

"What exactly happened with Miss James in the restoration room?" He asked, curious to better understand the encounter.

"I'm sure you've already heard to story from Caroline." Said Klaus, dismissing the question.

Elijah tilted his head to the side, observing his brother's slight scowl and his frequent use of Caroline's first name. "I would like to hear your account."

* * *

Klaus' eye darkened with irritation at Elijah's continued line of questioning. Although he had initially considered mentioning his unexpected rendezvous with Caroline to Elijah, he had decided he wanted to keep those intriguing little moments to himself. Despite keeping himself busy meeting Rebekah's demands, booking reservations at Michelin star

restaurants for dinner, and visiting every art museum and gallery in the city on his own, Klaus had found himself spending an inordinate amount of time sketching. And lately all he seemed to be able to draw was variations on the same blond haired, blue-eyed theme. He certainly couldn't explain his sudden, inescapable obsession with his brother's employee, and he didn't want anyone else to discover it either.

Deciding to humour Elijah, Klaus replied as vaguely as possible. "I was looking at a Bacon painting, she came in and informed me guests were not allowed in the restoration room, I protested. " Seeing Elijah's raised eyebrows, Klaus clarified. "Mildly, I protested with light verbal questioning only." He stressed. "We discussed our mutual admiration of Bacon's work, and then I left."

He watched the confusion play over Elijah's face, certain he had expected to hear something much more confrontational in nature. Klaus knew how his siblings, how everyone, thought of him: all silence and intimidation, followed by explosions of impulse and aggression. Though Klaus prided himself on his improved self control over the years, he could not deny that anger, and a need for control were the main motivators for his actions. Somehow, in those few minutes in the restoration room, Caroline had brought out of few of his other characteristics, those usually reserved only for his family, and even then seldom seen.

"And that was all?" Elijah spoke, breaking Klaus' thoughts.

"That was all." Klaus watched as Elijah leaned back in his chair carefully, trying to appear at ease, but failing to convince Klaus, who knew him far too well to be fooled. He watched as his brother adjusted his cufflinks, and fiddled with his watch, betraying his discomfort. Klaus was sure Elijah believed something had happened that neither he, nor Caroline, had mentioned, but he was not going to expand on his version of events.

"Dinner then?" Elijah asked.

Making the decision to try, Klaus nodded. "Just not another Michelin star restaurant. Rebekah has been demanding I escort her to all the best restaurants in the city this week. It's exhausting." He admitted.

"There's a little pub near my flat. They play football every night and have an excellent selection of imported ales and stouts." Elijah suggested.

"Quality alcohol would be much appreciated. Kol keeps hiding my scotch in retribution for my interrupting his busy social calendar. Let me grab my things." Klaus said, getting up from the couch and walking toward his bedroom, sketchbook in hand.

Hiding his art in his temporary accommodation, he took a few deep breaths before going back out to face his brother. He thought back to what Caroline had said about the man in the Bacon painting: "you can't help but want to reach out, take his hand, and lead him back into the light." He had watched her as she spoke, with her halo of golden hair falling gently over her shoulders. She was strong, self assured, and full of light. Maybe it was time he tried to escape from the dark.

* * *

"You have to choose! New Leo or old Leo. Come on Care, choose!"

Caroline giggled, watching as Katherine tried to poke her, but hit the cushion beside her instead, too drunk to control her limbs any longer. Girl's night had started at 6pm Saturday evening. They had managed to consume two pizzas, a container of ice cream, a bowl of popcorn, a bag of M&Ms, and three bottles of wine between them over the last five hours. While eating their own weight in junk food, they had watched two DiCaprio movies and then spent an hour online looking up episodes of Growing Pains when Katherine had insisted on seeing 'baby Leo'.

"I contest there is no bad version of Leo!" Caroline insisted, refusing to change her stance on the issue. "There is the boyish Leo from Romeo & Juliet and Titanic that I had posted on my wall, and the more mature Leo, who's a respected, Oscar nominated actor with a super model on his arm. He can do no wrong."

"Ah ha! See you like young Leo better, you had his face plastered on your wall!" Katherine jumped up on the couch, raising her hands in victory. "I win! Baby Leo is King of the World!" She shouted with glee.

"Oh my god! You are impossible!" Caroline laughed.

"That is why I win arguments all day and you look at pretty pictures." Katherine said, satisfied with her recent victory.

Caroline picked up her glass, and sipped more wine, thinking again how grateful she was that Katherine had come over, and finally helped her achieve something resembling relaxation. She watched as Katherine skipped clumsily to the kitchen to fill up her own wine glass in the kitchen.

"Oh!" Said Katherine suddenly. "What's the scoop! You haven't filled me in on the office gossip!" She leapt back over the couch, fourth bottle of wine in hand, and plopped herself beside Caroline. "Well?"

"To be honest Kat, I've been really enjoying not thinking about work -"

"So," Katherine's eyes narrowed. "Something of significance happened. Spill."

Caroline sighed, realizing Katherine wasn't going to let it go, but also quite touched to have a friend who cared to know about what was going on in her life. It had been some time since she'd had someone she could confide in, even if it was only sharing workplace gossip.

"It's just been a really stressful week preparing for the two auctions. I'm really not sure what I was thinking suggesting we do contrasting 'Light and Dark' auctions. It's just made so much more work for me to do. And then to end the week, my boss, well _the _boss, came to see me unexpectedly. Apparently he's calling a full staff meeting first thing Monday morning."

"And he told you on Friday afternoon." Katherine queried.

"He did. Less than an hour before my shift was over. It was so weird! I've been obsessing about it all day, trying to figure out what is up with this sudden 'meeting'. It's freaking me out!" Caroline admitted.

"That is a douche move, Care. Dropping that on you right before you're leaving for the weekend! What a dick!" Katherine commiserated with her. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed and she leaned forward, grabbing Caroline by the hand. "This is it!" She whispered.

"This is what?" Caroline asked puzzled.

"This is it! The mysterious Mikaelson! The security check that they won't give you any information about. This is it!" She exclaimed, squeezing Caroline's hand. "The boss man is going to drop the bomb on you guys! The mystery brother will finally reveal himself!"

"Oh good lord, I hope not." Caroline rolled her eyes. "I have enough on my plate at the moment."

"Is the rumour mill still churning about the mystery brother; what's his name…Nicholas?" Katherine sat back, grabbing her wine glass once more.

"Niklaus, his name is Niklaus." Caroline corrected.

"That family has to be the weirdest named bunch I've ever heard." Katherine observed, momentarily distracted from her goal of hearing the latest gossip.

"Well, they didn't have any control over that. But the rumour mill has been ridiculous!" Caroline said, getting back on topic. "It feels like no one talks about anything else. I've taken to eating in my office so I don't have to listen to Richard from accounting go on and on about a rumour from Italy, or Japan, or one of the other foreign branches, where Niklaus Mikaelson made someone disappear or ruined someone's life. You'd think the man was a mafia boss, it's absolutely insane!" Caroline proclaimed, finally voicing her pent up frustration about these unending, fabrications about the head of security. There was simply no way half of this stuff was true. "And now," she continued, the alcohol driving her to confess even more, "Leslie and Ashley, Elijah and Kol's personal assistants, can't stop talking about how he's some sort of walking Adonis! I am so sick of hearing about this man, that when I finally see him, I'll have to stop myself from punching him in the face!" Caroline could feel her face flaming, in anger and slight embarrassment, because thinking about handsome men made a certain full lipped, blue eyed stranger pop straight into her head.

"Oh Caroline, I hope you do!" Katherine snickered. "I'd pay to see you slap that smug British face!"

"Yeah, well he can get in line." Caroline proclaimed.

"Oooh. Who's first on the list then?" Katherine asked, filling Caroline's wine glass as she spoke.

"First, I'm taking out the jerk who invaded the restoration room on Monday and delighted in pushing my buttons, before I finally convinced him to leave the room. A room he never should have been in in the first place! It clearly says 'Staff Only', but that arrogant bastard was just standing there in his leather jacket like he owned the damn place!" Caroline ranted. "He ruined my week. Totally ruined it! Jerk." She pouted and then gulped back more wine.

"The whole week? How did he ruin the whole week?" Katherine asked, puzzled.

"Because he was gorgeous! Horrible, but gorgeous." Caroline vented. "He was like baby Leo sexy. He turned around, I saw his face, and I swear I almost melted into a puddle on the floor. But he was an absolute ass. A completely gorgeous asshole who understands art and has been haunting me all week." Caroline moaned in frustration.

"Pretty good sex dreams, hmmm?"

"Good doesn't even begin to describe it. Oh my god, Kat. Every night this week, that man has invaded my mind."

"Well, I hope he invaded more than just your mind." Katherine teased.

"Oh, shut up! I am sick of it! Sick of him! I hope I never see, or dream about him again! I am serious!" She said, watching the disbelief on Katherine's face. "I am drinking myself into a stupor with you, mostly because I'm hoping I won't dream about that jerk face when I pass out later!"

"You so need to get laid." Katherine declared confidently.

"No." Caroline shook her head emphatically. "Just, no."

"Then, I, as your friend, will help you drink yourself into a dreamless stupor." Katherine said, hand on her heart. "We should watch another movie. Another Leo movie, surely this guy has nothing on Leo."

Caroline couldn't reply, partly because she was too drunk to even think of a Leonardo DiCaprio movie they hadn't watched, but also because she was pretty sure Katherine was wrong. The restoration room guy could give Leo a run for his money.

"I've got it! 'The Departed'! I have the DVD at my place!" Katherine cried, pleased with herself.

Caroline felt bile surge from her stomach up her throat and her blood run cold. She suddenly felt completely sober.

"No." She said softly, pushing her words past the lump in her throat. "I…no."

Caroline couldn't bring herself to look at Katherine. She studied her hands, watching them wring together, grasping each other so tightly it was painful. Suddenly a olive tinged hand inched it's way into her vision, lightly pulling her hands apart and holding her right palm gently.

"Caroline," Katherine spoke softly. "You can talk to me, if you want. Whatever it is your hiding, you don't have to keep it to yourself."

"I just…" Caroline began hesitantly. "I can't watch that movie." She said, thinking back to movie night years ago, cuddled into a firm male body. Creeping off the couch to make popcorn, walking back into the room, happy to make something for the man she loved. Only to have the popcorn thrown back at her, bowl bouncing off the side of her head, a low, growling voice criticizing her for burning a few kernels and ruining his snack.

"Caroline look at me." Katherine said calmly.

Caroline bit her lip and slowly lifted her gaze to meet the brown eyes beside her.

"I'm sorry, Kat." She said, not knowing what else to say.

"You have nothing to apologize for." Katherine interjected. "Listen, everybody has things they've done, mistakes they've made that they don't want the world to know about. I'm a pretty open book, and even I don't go around the law office talking about how I used to be strung out on drugs, crashing at friend's houses, and stealing money from my parents to get my next high. But you, you're my friend and I like to think that you like me, warts and all." She said sincerely.

Caroline sighed and squeezed Katherine's hand. "Of course I still like you. You're amazing. You could probably go into the office and tell everyone you used to be a junkie and they'd still think you'd hung the moon because you're such a legal wunderkind."

"That's right I am." Katherine smiled. "And I will still be your friend, no matter what might have happened. I am the friend who helps you bury the body and doesn't ask questions!" Katherine declared emphatically. "So you can tell me what you're running from. And don't bother denying that you're running, or hiding, from something. I know you are, even the first day I met you, I knew."

Thinking back to the day she'd moved into her apartment and she'd met Katherine, Caroline supposed she'd probably had acted quite strange. Jumping about a foot when Katherine had poked her head out and shouted down the hall to introduce herself, and then having to unlock three different locks before letting Katherine in later, when she had stopped by with 'welcome' coffee and a list of questions to get to know her new neighbour.

"That was his favourite movie. The man I'm…running from." Caroline said, hearing her own voice as if it belonged to someone else. "He used to watch it every weekend." She stopped, unable to voice anything else, lost in her own memories again. The sound of liquid hitting glass pulled her out of her thoughts, and she turned toward Katherine and watched her pour two full glasses of wine.

"Well then," Said Katherine, passing a glass to Caroline and keeping the other for herself. "We can have a 'burning of the Departed party'. And I will never mention it again." Katherine raised her glass and clinked it against Caroline's.

"And to take my mind off it, we can watch that Miley Cyrus Wrecking Ball parody video as many times as possible before we fall asleep?" Caroline asked smiling, determined to get past this flashback to her former life. If Caroline was good at anything, it was pushing herself doggedly forward, stubbornly refusing to let her past affect her present. Caroline had always been a fighter, trapped in the body of a former head cheerleader.

"Only if we can alternate with Jon Stewart's brilliant defense of New York pizza's superiority over Chicago deep dish pizza." Katherine insisted. "Deal?"

"Deal."

* * *

**Thank you all for reading. My apologies for on direct Klaroline interaction this chapter, they will definitely run into each other next chapter. I plan to post a chapter every Friday, for those wondering how often I will be updating.**

**Please review! It is incredible motivating to hear how people are responding to the story.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So I'm updating early this week because the writing has been going so smoothly and my betas are awesome (thank you Sci-Fi Christian, Stephanie and Emily!) and everything got done faster than anticipated. I hope this chapter meets expectations, I know it's been a bit of a wait for more Klaroline action, but here it is!**

**As per usual, I do not own TVD, or Klaroline, or Joseph Morgan (alas). I do however, own this ****plot line. **

* * *

Chapter 5

'_You have got to be kidding me.'_

There are days in life when you feel like the cards are stacked against you. Today was definitely one of those days. Sitting in the conference room, surrounded by all her colleagues, Caroline was pretty sure even the janitors were here, hiding in the back of the room, she could feel the anxiety coursing through the room. Caroline was making a concerted effort to remain poised, refusing to let the murmurs floating through the room affect her attitude or her outward appearance.

After spending most of the day yesterday recovering from her indulgence on Saturday, Caroline had spent all of Sunday evening developing a plan of attack for the coming week. She had a checklist of things to do this week, and she felt ready to take on the world, or at least a double auction and a surprise Monday morning meeting. She had been doing an excellent job of remaining composed, if she did say so herself, while Elijah began the meeting, a perfectly coiffed Rebekah, and a devilishly rumpled Kol by his side. She had listened quite proudly as Elijah had commended the work of the restoration team in preparing for the upcoming auction, now less than a week away. She had contained her smile of glee when Rebekah had outlined the plans for the auction's promotional party that coming Friday, and discovered the painfully particular blonde has kept the theme, colour scheme, and menu she had chosen weeks earlier. It was quite common for Rebekah to change large portions of Caroline's event plans when she stepped in to complete the last minute details, and Caroline was truly relieved to know she would only have a few dozen changes to the party to assist with over the week, instead of the usual hundred.

So Caroline had been feeling pretty good. Her bosses liked her work, she finally seemed to have carved out a little social life for herself, and she had gone all 'Prom Committee Chair/Head Cheerleader' on her checklist by prioritizing and colour coding it to an inch of its life. And then Elijah had said the security check would be starting this week, which wasn't great. She'd run out of Sharpie colours last night and would have to find some metallic pens to specifically code 'security check' items to her checklist. Then, as if fate just had it in for her, Elijah introduced the man in charge of the security check: his brother, Klaus.

Watching a lean man, with dirty blonde curls and full lips, stride confidently into the conference room, Caroline's stomach had dropped into her toes and she struggled to keep ahold of her pen.

'_Seriously? You have got to be kidding me. Why does this have to be my life?' _

Caroline managed to contain her thoughts and her groan, as she realized that the man who was currently approaching Elijah and looked exactly like the stranger from the restoration room last week, was none other than Klaus Mikaelson.

'_I kicked him out of the restoration room! I basically told him he was an entitled brat. Now he thinks I'm a bitch and he's going to snoop into everything I do at work. He'll make me lose my job!'_ Caroline could feel her horror growing as her mind continued to frantically process her situation and suggest scenarios, each more terrifying then the last, of how Klaus Mikaelson was going to ruin her life.

Peeking up from under her glasses, she looked at the man responsible for her unfortunate predicament. He was gazing out over the room intently, as if he was cataloging each face he came across. When his eyes rested on hers, Caroline watched the corner of his mouth twitch and his right eyebrow arch. Seeing his facial expression change and recognizing the amusement it now held, all of Caroline's fear vanished. She straightened in her chair, pushing her shoulders back, holding her head high, and lifting her own brows, accepting his challenge. His smile widened at her response, before he continued on, his eyes moving over the rest of the room.

Rooted on the spot, Caroline thought through her reaction to Klaus Mikaelson. There was just something about that man, something that she could not ignore. It beckoned her; it dared her. And Caroline found she could not back down. She had to rise above her fears, her doubts, and her insecurities. She had to meet the challenge he presented, no matter the consequences.

* * *

Klaus hated staff meetings. Presenting himself in front of a group of strangers like some prized turkey at a county fair was simply ridiculous. If he could convince Elijah to stop doing it, he would. Elijah, however, would not be swayed, so here he was, dressed in a suit, at his older brother's insistence, waiting to hear his name waft in from the other room. Then he could make his grand entrance, look over the staff and pretend to be interested in meeting them. Internally, he would be counting down the minutes until he could hide himself in his office and review security tapes.

Hearing his cue, Klaus walked down the centre aisle of the conference room, feeling the eyes of the New York branch upon him. Planting himself beside Elijah, he turned to face the mob, keeping his face a mask, devoid of emotion. As Elijah prattled on about the security check and its importance for the company, Klaus inspected the crowd before him. Most people refused to meet his gaze, some stayed fixed on Elijah, as if they were worshipping him like a god. Seeing a familiar face in the masses, Klaus noticed Elijah's assistant (_What was her name, Laurie?_) give him a small smile. Beside her a young woman sat perched on the edge of her chair, breasts thrust out, eyelashes batting in his direction. Less than impressed by her blatant attempt at seductive flirtation, Klaus moved his eyes away from her quickly, turning his focus to the other side of the room. He saw Gertrude's diminutive form, and gave her a small nod, fondly remembering their conversations about German philosophers and her delicious German chocolate cake. Just as he was about to finish his appraisal of the group, a delicately feminine face caught his eye. Seeing familiar iridescent blue eyes peering at him from under a pair of glasses perched on a pointed nose, he felt his mouth quirk.

If there had been one thing he was looking forward to this morning, it was seeing Caroline James again, and watching her realize who he was. She certainly did not disappoint; her back straightened and her chin jutted forward proudly. He gloried in how she met his stare, not giving an inch. She looked positively livid. Klaus could feel his mouth breaking into an uncharacteristically full smile, before quickly looking away, not wanting to get caught smiling by the group in front of him.

Turning his attention and his gaze back to his brother, Klaus found that while Caroline was out of his sight, she was not out of his mind. He could sense from her earlier glare that she would like nothing better than to scold him for his earlier deception; however she would have to be patient. Klaus had hours of security footage to view before speaking to individual employees. But he felt certain speaking to Caroline again would be worth the wait.

* * *

If the staff at Mikaelson's Auction House thought that meeting Klaus Mikaelson and having Elijah officially declare the security check begun would alleviate the stress and anxiety at work, they were all sorely disappointed. Although they all knew the security check was underway, they had no idea where Klaus Mikaelson was, or what he was doing. Tension had only risen among the staff, with most employees acting as if someone was looking over their shoulder at all times.

Caroline was furious with the entire situation. The man was insufferable! He was deliberately riling people up, trying to break them down before he even spoke to them. It was completely underhanded and unnecessary. Caroline was exhausted from giving uplifting pep talks and smiling her 'I'm impossibly happy' cheerleader smile in an attempt to improve the vibe around the office. It was almost lunch on Thursday, and since the Monday morning meeting, when Klaus made his inauspicious entrance; no one had seen hide or hair of him. Leslie claimed she had caught a glimpse of him one morning, leaving Elijah's office, but other than that, no one was even sure if he was in the building or not.

Glancing briefly at her checklist for the day, Caroline ticked off several items, feeling satisfied with her progress so far today. Grabbing her lunch from the mini-fridge in her office, she walked out of her office toward the lunchroom. Standing in the doorway, Caroline glanced around at the tables, noting the accountants huddled around one table, and that Leslie and Ashley had snagged the only small two person table, obviously wanting to be left on their own to gossip about everyone else.

Choosing one of the two empty tables, Caroline sat down and began laying her lunch out on the table. Focused on trying to decide weather she should eat her chicken caesar wrap first, or start with dessert, she did not even noticed when someone approached her from across the room.

* * *

Klaus was pleased with his success in avoiding any and all employees at the New York branch of Mikaelson's Auction House, with the exception of his siblings, so far this week. There was nothing like heightened anticipation to make people crack. He enjoyed watching everyone squirm and fret as he watched them on the surveillance cameras, waiting for someone to slip up and reveal any underhanded behavior.

Knowing everyone should be occupied by lunch, he had escaped the security room briefly to grab something to eat from the café across the street. Before he could leave the auction house, he passed by the lunchroom door, pausing when a lone blonde head caught his eye. Watching Caroline sitting alone, arranging her food in front of her, Klaus decided it was time to show his face again.

Entering the room, he kept his focus on Caroline, ignoring how all the conversation in the room stopped, as heads turned to look at him. Caroline's head was down, her whole being intent the food in front of her. He pulled out the chair across from Caroline silently and sat down, wondering if she would notice him. As if on cue, he watched her head rise slowly, until she reached his face. Amused, he saw her body jerk back in her seat and her eyes widen, and then quickly narrow.

"What are you doing?" She hissed at him. "Everyone is staring at us!"

"I hadn't noticed." He said, observing her closely as the meaning of his words sunk in.

"Seriously?" She whispered harshly, leaning forward, no doubt hoping to keep the conversation secret. "If you think flirting is going to get you on my good side, you have another thing coming." She leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest.

"We had a little spat, love. I'm over it." He placated, leaning toward her, arms resting on the table.

"Well I'm not." Caroline replied, sitting up straight in her chair and avoiding his gaze. As if unable to stop herself from scolding him, she continued. "You could have prevented the whole incident last week if you had just introduced yourself. I mean, why wouldn't you do that!"

"Mystery has its advantages." He answered vaguely. "I believe we should move past our…intriguing first encounter. Why don't you tell me about yourself Caroline?"

"Not going to happen." Caroline stated firmly. "If you want to talk to me, you can do it on the clock, when you do my one-on-one interview for your security check, like Elijah said would be doing for all the staff on Monday, before you disappeared to god knows where!"

"Miss me?" He smirked.

"You are insufferable!" She cried in frustration. Noticing the eyes in the room on her, and likely realizing they had all heard her last exclamation, Klaus watched her duck her head down, before glaring at him.

Since she wasn't willing to talk about herself, Klaus decided to try another track. "What is this?" Klaus asked, picking up a skinny package sitting on the table.

She frowned at him, as if confused by his question.

"It's a fruit roll up." She said simply, as if he should know what it was.

"And what is that exactly?" Queried Klaus.

"You've never had one." She realized head tilted slightly in surprise.

"No." He replied.

"Umm. Well, a fruit roll up is a processed fruit snack. To be honest, it's probably a combination of sugar and food colouring. They're mostly for kids." She admitted.

"If they are for children, why do you have two of them in your lunch?" He asked, genuinely puzzled that her otherwise healthy and balanced looking lunch contained a child's treat.

"My mother always packed them in my lunch." Caroline said with a shrug. "She was a single working mom and she didn't have time to make homemade snacks like muffins and cookies. But I loved fruit roll ups and she always made sure I had one in my lunch everyday. So now I pack them for myself, because it reminds me of her, and it's a tradition."

Klaus found Caroline's story incomprehensible. He was quite sure his mother had never made lunch for any of her children, ever. That was what the staff was for, and boarding schools, which he and all his siblings had attended from a young age. Trying to imagine what it was like to have a parent care enough about your daily life to make you a meal to take to school was simply too foreign a concept for Klaus to grasp. Mikael and Ester, his mostly absentee parents, had been far too busy establishing and growing their business and fortune to take time for menial tasks like cooking meals or making sandwiches.

"Do they taste like fruit?" He asked, strangely interested in the processed snack. Belinda, the cook at the Mikaelson family home had usually served afternoon tea with cucumber sandwiches. On weekends she would bake scones, and he and his siblings would munch on them with their tea as a special indulgence.

"Sort of. They taste like fake fruit flavours. Kind of like how they make cough syrup taste like grape or cherry, but it never really tastes like the fruit does, it just tastes like the artificial flavor." Caroline explained. "Did you want to try some?" She asked, her lips twitching, with what Klaus was sure was amusement and a hint of curiousity.

Nodding, he watched as Caroline took the other slim package in her hand and opened it, motioning for him to do the same with the one he was holding. Tearing the seal, Klaus was assaulted with a strong scent that was fruity in nature, but yet not like any fruit he had ever had before. Taking out the bright red paper thin roll, Klaus paused, watching as Caroline wrapped her's around her finger.

Arching his brow, silently questioning her actions, Klaus watched confused and aroused as she popped her fruit roll up covered finger into her mouth, closed her eyes in pleasure, and began sucking. It had to be a crime for a woman to eat a children's snack so seductively without even trying. Klaus watched her pretty pink lips bob up and down her finger, oblivious to anyone around her, as she thoroughly enjoyed her treat. Thinking about other things he would love Caroline to wrap her mouth around and suck, he almost groaned in disappointment as she realized he was watching her, gaze heated, body leaning forward, as close to her as he could get with the table between them. She abruptly removed her finger from her mouth, wrenched the fruit snack off her finger and popped the whole thing in her mouth, chewing emphatically, teeth flashing, effectively breaking him out of his sexual fantasy.

Looking at his own fruit roll up, he bit one corner off, deciding if he couldn't watch Caroline imitate fellatio with her finger, then he might as well eat the damn snack.

His face contorted, nose wrinkling and tongue flapping, as he frantically tried to get the sticky and offensively sweet taste out of his mouth. Hearing a burst of giggles from across the table, he raised his head and met Caroline's eyes with his own, not exactly appreciating the way her body shook in pure amusement at his current predicament.

"They are quite sweet." She said, trying to keep her face straight, but unable to contain another burst of laughter.

Klaus choked down the disgusting piece of food-like substance in his mouth, reached for Caroline's pink breast cancer awareness water bottle, and started chugging down fluid, effectively washing the offending taste out of his mouth.

"Hey!" Caroline exclaimed, reaching forward to try and grab her water bottle back, but failing as Klaus leaned back out of her reach and continued drinking.

"Consider us even sweetheart. You attempted to poison me; I drank your water to save my life." Klaus forced out, setting down the water bottle in front of him, finally satisfied the fruit roll up was out of his mouth.

"We are not even! You," she said, pointing her finger at him, "stole my drink and refused to introduce yourself to me in the restoration room, like any normal person would have done. All I did was offer you some of my lunch. How was I to know you wouldn't like it?" She asked pointedly. "You owe me a water bottle. I expect to be paid back in a timely manner." She instructed.

"I am a bit busy at the moment –"

"No excuses." She interrupted. "I'm sure a master of mystery such as yourself can figure something out."

Seeing her mouth curve upwards, just the slightest hint of a smile playing on her face, Klaus felt thankful he had ventured into the lunchroom and approached his current obsession.

"Now go. I want to actually eat my lunch and no doubt you have some evil scheme to concoct or something." Klaus watched as Caroline shooed him away with her hands. Remaining where he was, he saw panic flit over Caroline's face, as she leaned in to whisper at him once more. "How am I going to explain this to everyone else, hmm? You can't just sit with me at lunch! Leave!" She whispered desperately, mouthing 'Please' when he continued to sit still.

"Since you asked so nicely." He said, keeping his voice soft, so only she could hear him.

He got up from his chair easily, then paused looking down at Caroline seriously.

"I'll see you in your office next week then Miss James. I like to begin my personnel interviews with new employees." Intentionally speaking loudly, so everyone in the lunchroom could hear, Klaus smirked and bowed his head when Caroline met his gaze, her eyes thankful.

He turned on his heel and strode happily out the door of the lunchroom. Stepping out onto the streets of New York, Klaus deciding to take an extended lunch: he had a water bottle to replace.

* * *

Rebekah stayed silent, back pushed up against the wall hidden from view, watching as her brother confidently pushed through the front doors of the office and walked out onto the city streets. If she hadn't been spying on Nik moments earlier, she never would have believed he had been sitting in the staff lunchroom chatting to one of the employees. Not just any employee either, but Caroline the new auction coordinator. Rebekah supposed she was a pretty little thing, a bit too uptight as far as she was concerned, always checking in with the event planning, even if Rebekah hadn't specifically asked her to do so. Typical overachiever: boring, nitpicky, and meticulous. She hardly seemed the type to attract Nik, her guarded, yet impulsive older brother. Perhaps Caroline had been hiding her true nature all these months. She might be a parasitic gold digger, disguised as a sweet, timid art expert.

Peeking into the lunchroom once more through the small window in the door, Rebekah narrowed her eyes, watching as Caroline was suddenly surrounded by people, no doubt clamoring for all the details of her conversation with Klaus Mikaelson. He did have the whole place on edge; just the way Rebekah knew he liked it.

Walking back to her office, Rebekah considered her options. She certainly wasn't going to let a blonde strumpet take advantage of her brother; he had been betrayed far too badly by a manipulative woman in the past. Rebekah was meeting with Caroline tomorrow, to go over the final details for the Friday evening party and the auction itself. A few well placed questions about the nature of Caroline's relationship wit her brother seemed in order. If there was any indication Caroline was a lying, no-good tramp, Rebekah felt sure she could find just the right thing to say to scare her away.

* * *

Caroline slipped into her office at the end of the day exhausted from the constant stream of questions she had received from anyone who saw her that afternoon. Anytime she had tried to check in about how things were going in restoration, or inquire into how many people had RSPV'd for the auction, she had been interrupted with questions about Klaus. _'Why was he talking to you Caroline? Are you in trouble? Are WE in trouble? He was smiling, what was he smiling about!'_ She was at a loss for how to answer all the questions, I mean how many times could she convincingly say he had just come over to introduce himself and then laugh at her childish snack. Her explanation sounded pathetic and she knew it. So she had snuck into the back room and hung out with Gertrude, who hadn't been in the lunchroom, didn't care about the gossip, and had homemade cake to share.

Staying late in order to sneak back to her office unseen was not something Caroline was particularly proud of, but she was eternally grateful to have not been cornered with more questions about Klaus. Walking over to her coat rack and grabbing her jacket and purse, Caroline turned to walk back out of the office, only to stop dead in her tracks.

There, on her desk, wrapped in a red bow, was a new water bottle. It was pure white, with a beautiful hand painted copy of 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' on it. A small folded piece of parchment paper lay beside it. Opening it carefully, Caroline read the hand written message inside: "I hope this meets your expectations. – Klaus".

* * *

**I will do my best to update again later this week, the next chapter is with my betas at the moment, but hopefully Chapter 6 will be up by Friday.**

**I wrote the whole Klaroline lunchroom scene and then it occurred to me that I had no idea if fruit roll ups were still on the market…I'm happy to report that they are! And god it makes me feel old when I have to check that the snacks I ate as a child are still being sold.**

**Also, since I'm going to be talking about various pieces of art, I'm going to start posting links to the artwork for those who are interested on my profile, so you can see them if you're interested. It'll take me a day or so, but I'll get them up there. I should also add I am NOT an art expert at all, but I'm doing my best to throw a variety of artists into the story. Suggestions for art or artists I should use in the story are more than welcome.**

**Okay, so I'll end this ramble by saying: thank you so much for reading! Please review, it makes my day :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So here we go! Thanks again to my lovely betas, they have been awesome in helping me with the quick turn around for the last couple chapters. As per usual I do not own TVD, it belongs to much more important people, but I do own the plot of this story.**

**Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and followed this story! It is so motivational to know people are reading and enjoying.**

* * *

Chapter 6

Caroline bent over, stretching, breathing deeply in preparation for her early morning run. It was 5am on Friday morning and she was ready to get the day started with a run through Washington Square Park and her typical loop through the Village. When she had a day like today, with a last minute party planning check-in with Rebekah scheduled, she liked to get out some stress and aggression by starting the day with intense exercise. It seemed to help her rein in her tongue later, when she was tempted to tell Rebekah she could stop being a know-it-all-bitch who took far too much pleasure in ordering around her underlings, which unfortunately included Caroline.

Caroline had always enjoyed the benefits of running, it had helped keep her stamina up for cheerleading, but she had seriously dedicated herself to running over the past five years. There was something about feeling your body move; muscles pumping, heart pounding. It was empowering and invigorating. Caroline loved the feeling of control and heightened awareness she felt when she ran. In the aftermath of her escape from her former life, running had given her inner peace and a sense of self. A newfound appreciation for herself, of her body, of what she was truly capable of. At a time when Caroline had had difficulty even looking at her reflection in the mirror, it had felt like a miracle to feel a sense of self-worth and accomplishment about anything.

Now faced with cool morning air and a foggy mist, Caroline set off on her run, happy to clear her head of all thoughts of Rebekah and the no doubt painful meeting that was to come.

As she hit the path through Washington Square Park, Caroline felt the scent of dirt, dead leaves, and newly sprung grass hit her nose. The park was always her favorite part of the run: the smells, the silence, and the solitude. Other runners often passed her by on the sidewalks, but fewer people ventured into the park this early in the morning, before the sun came up and illuminated the shadows.

Listening to the sound of birds chirping and the thud of her feet hitting the pathway, Caroline felt a chill run down her spine when she heard footsteps echoing out behind her. Trying to keep her composure, she continued to run, angling herself toward a sharp turn in the path up ahead, branching off the main route, hoping to separate herself from whoever was trailing behind her. Instead of fading footsteps, the sounds of her pursuer only got closer as she rounded the bend and headed toward the park's inner ring.

Picking up her pace, Caroline felt her heart begin to race and her breathing hitch, suddenly feeling concerned about her vulnerability running alone so early in the morning with only her phone and her YWCA self-defense class moves to protect her. As she approached the fountain at the centre of the park, Caroline seriously considered stopping to see if the person behind her might just pass her by, when she felt a presence directly to her right.

Turning her head, desperately hoping not to see anything or anyone who looked remotely dangerous, Caroline felt cold dread spread from her fingers up her arms as she observed a lean looking man dressed in grey sweat pants and a black hoodie, face hidden from view, running beside her. _Creepiest running outfit ever. Who does he think he is, Rocky? _Slowing down her pace, Caroline again hoped her maneuver might encourage creepy runner guy to take a hint and leave her be. Feeling her heart lift, as she dropped back and the stranger kept running, her jaw dropped when he slowed and glanced back at her and she saw a familiar face smirking back at her triumphantly.

If Klaus Mikaelson thought he could creep up on her in the park and then glory in his 'victory', like they had just been having an imaginary race that only he knew about, he was completely nuts.

Pushing off the ground forcefully, she shot forward, running past him down the path toward University Place. Her ears were full of the sound of her own ragged breathing and violent heartbeats, but she could sense him matching her step for step, as they raced toward the road ahead of them. Less than 50 yards from the street, Caroline kicked into high gear, sprinting for all she was worth.

Grinning triumphantly, feeling alone not 15 feet away from the 'finish line', Caroline almost screamed in frustration when she felt the air move beside her, and the blur that was Klaus eased passed her, running with the grace of a gazelle, and winning the race at the last second.

Hunched over, hands on her knees, gulping in air, Caroline snuck a look at Klaus, seeing him standing casually, as if he has just walked through the park, not run an impromptu 100 yard dash. _Of course he would look like that. Figures. _Caroline thought, almost shaking her head in frustration.

Standing up tall again, despite still being more than a little out of breath, Caroline was determined to show Klaus that she was perfectly fine after their little race, thank you very much.

"That is the most ridiculous running outfit I have ever seen." She commented.

"You seem to be a bit of a sore loser, love." He smiled, flashing those dimples, causing her insides to tingle.

"You are so creepy! I thought you were a serial killer or something! Do you always follow random people on your morning run? You freaked me the hell out!" She said, confronting him by stepping toward him forcefully and poking him in the chest hard enough for him to take a small step backward and put his hands up in surrender.

"That wasn't my intention Caroline." He said, appearing quite sincere. "I saw you running and I was concerned. It's still rather dark to be out alone."

"I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself and deciding where and when and with whom I run!" Caroline replied heatedly. "You are not my mother!"

"I should certainly hope not." He said drily.

Unable to help herself, Caroline started laughing. Bringing her hand up to stifle her giggles, she watched as Klaus smiled along with her, all the earlier tension between them broken.

"I like to run alone." Caroline explained. "It clears my head. So, I better not be seeing you hanging around here like a stalker." She said, shaking her finger at him and slowly walking backwards, needing to make her way home, or risk being late for work.

"Your wish is my command." He promised, placing his hand over his heart. "I'll see you at the office Caroline."

She nodded in acknowledgement, turned away and jogged back to her apartment. Although she couldn't have said why, she smiled the entire way home.

* * *

'_I've never seen a diamond in the flesh.'_ Caroline sang softly in the shower, enjoying the feeling of the hot water trailing down her skin, washing away the sweat from her run. _'I cut my teeth on wedding rings, in the movies.' _She continued, singing louder as she went. She loved this song. It made her think about the first time she had walked by Tiffany's after she moved to New York. She had been afraid to even go in because it had seemed like a dream, all the impossibly beautiful diamonds and the pretty blue boxes. She had walked by the store, staring in the windows for two weeks before she had finally ventured inside. _'Let me live that fantasy'_ She sang out loudly, no longer caring if her neighbours could hear her.

"With a voice like that, we'll have to go out for karaoke" A voice interrupted her shower, causing Caroline to yelp in shock.

Sticking her head out of the tub while clutching the shower curtain securely around her body, Caroline addressed her latest surprise visitor of the morning.

"Fuck Katherine, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

"You did give me your spare key." Katherine shrugged leaning against the bathroom sink, obviously unconcerned about Caroline's current state of undress.

"For emergencies Kat. Emergencies." Caroline bit out.

"Well you were longer on your run than usual. I had to come check on you." Katherine replied innocently. "And I ran out of coffee again, so I had to come make some of yours." Katherine added as she closed the door.

Letting the shower curtain fall back into place, Caroline sped through the rest of her shower, determined not to get off track. She could not be late this morning, since she was meeting Rebekah to go over last minute party and auction details at 10:00am and she had to check in with everyone in the restoration department before that meeting in order to give Rebekah the latest progress report on all the art. Rebekah would want to know every detail of what was going on and Caroline had to be sure all of the art was pristine. She anticipated her meeting with Rebekah would drag on into lunch as they went over every aspect of the evening's party and tomorrow's auction.

Wrapping a towel around her body and slipping her glasses onto her nose, Caroline was lead out into her apartment by the smell of roasted hazelnut coffee. Standing beside Katherine, she poured herself a mug full of coffee, and then turned to the fridge to grab some yogurt and fruit. Reaching for her box of granola, she's sprinkled some of that on her yogurt as well, knowing she needed to replenish after her run and in preparation for the morning to come.

"So…" Katherine prompted.

"So…" Caroline repeated, arching her eyebrow up in question and shoveling down her first bite of breakfast.

"What happened with Klaus, the mysterious restoration room guy and missing Mikaelson?" She demanded, putting down her coffee, and standing hands on hips. "You have to tell me Care, I can't take the suspense! People do not keep juicy gossip from me; I am Katherine Pierce, gossip detective!" Caroline sighed at Katherine, and gave in.

"Well, after Monday he just disappeared, putting everyone on edge. Then he randomly showed up at lunch yesterday and sat down to talk to me. I don't even want to talk about it, I embarrassed myself completely and he was just…urg!" Caroline said, staring at her feet.

"And? That can't be it Care!" Katherine growled in frustration.

"I just don't how what to say." Caroline shrugged. "He's like this puzzle, you only get a piece at a time and so far the pieces don't fit together."

"Why is he talking to you? I mean what is his angle?" Katherine asked rhetorically, leaning back against the counter, coffee in hand, her eyes blank as she sorted through the evidence she had so far.

"I cannot even take the time to think about it. I have far too much on my plate today and tomorrow to worry about Klaus or the security check." Caroline shook her head dismissively, putting down her empty bowl of yogurt and filling up her coffee mug again.

"Right, you planned the party for tonight. When are you actually going to get to go to one of these fancy parties you plan?" Katherine asked pointedly.

"Oh, likely never. I'm supposed to be behind the scenes. I want to be behind the scenes" Caroline insisted. "Besides, as far as the art world knows, Rebekah plans the parties."

"Listen," Katherine said, pointing at Caroline with a serious look on her face. "You are going to ask, no insist, that boss of yours gets you an invite to the next big event, and I am going as your plus one." Katherine smiled triumphantly. "We are going to buy designer gowns! We will be the best looking women at the party, hands down. I will schmooze with all the New York big wigs and find a sugar daddy, and you will not wear your glasses." Katherine instructed.

"What is wrong with my glasses?" Caroline protested, touching her apparently offensive accessory defensively.

"I swear you only wear those glasses and keep your hair up every day so you look like an uptight spinster." Katherine replied, looking down her nose at Caroline.

"No comment." Caroline said, hiding her smile behind her coffee mug. It was hard to argue with Katherine's observation.

Caroline was very careful to maintain an image; in the clothes that she wore, the way she conducted herself, and the hobbies she chose. She had specifically chosen to change over the past five years. Many of those changes were always a part of her: her interest in art and cooking, her desire to be respected for her mind, not just her appearance, and her dreams to see more of the world. Other adjustments, like wearing glasses and keeping her hair up were superficial ways for her to separate herself from the girl she used to be, to blend into the background and not draw attention.

"You have a lot of potential you know. The glasses can't hide that." Katherine continued scrutinizing Caroline, looking her up and down. "Hotness potential. You have mile long legs, we could put you in a sexy little number, really show them off. Let your hair down: is it naturally straight, wavy, curly?"

"I am not planning my outfit for a party I might never go to Katherine. If, and I do mean if, I get invited to an event I'll let you know. There is no one else I'd rather go with." She smiled slightly, knowing her statement was the truth. Katherine would be an entertaining party companion to say the least. "But, I have to insist on wearing my glasses." She finished.

When Katherine didn't initially respond, Caroline sensed she may have over stepped her bounds. A silent Katherine, in Caroline's experience, was not usually a good thing.

"Here's the deal: you will get us invites to the next fancy party and you won't wear your glasses when we go. In turn I will be your personal shopper and I will not spread any malicious rumours about you being a nudist." Leaving Caroline to process her last statement, Katherine snuck out the door of Caroline's apartment quickly and headed down the hall.

Poking her head out her door, Caroline shouted down the hall at Katherine's retreating form. "I am NOT a nudist!"

As the words left her mouth, Caroline heard a shocked gasp and turned to see a small woman with grey hair standing down the hall behind her, newspaper in hand.

"Hello Mrs. Lindham." Caroline said awkwardly, knowing she had been overheard and that she was currently standing in her doorway in nothing but a towel. "Lovely morning isn't it." She gave Mrs. Lindham her best innocent smile, all the while cringing inside. Turning back to glare at Katherine for putting her in this situation, she spotted the brunette shaking with laughter as she snuck back into the safety of her apartment.

Stepping back into her own apartment, Caroline found herself stifling giggles. What a ridiculous morning so far. She couldn't even begin to imagine how the rest of the day would go.

* * *

"What is this for?" Klaus asked, suspiciously as he took a steaming mug from Rebekah.

"It's English breakfast tea: your favourite. I even steeped it until it was almost as black as coffee, just the way you like." She smiled brightly. "Can't a girl bring her favourite brother a morning beverage?" She said innocently, sitting on the other side of his desk, casually sipping some overly complicated coffee-like substance out of a Starbucks cup.

"A girl? Perhaps. My sister? Never." Klaus replied. "What do you want Rebekah?" He demanded, leaning back in his chair. He had far too many security protocols to run through with the security team for tonight's party to be distracted by his sister's none too subtle attempt at manipulation.

"Really Nik, I can be nice from time to time." Rebekah protested. Taking another sip of her drink, she hesitated slightly before continuing. "Are you coming to the party tonight?"

"You think tea is going to convince me to go to your little party?"

"Please Nik, you have to come." Rebekah put her coffee down and leaned forward over the desk, closing the space between them. "I hardly get to see you." She said, leaning back again, already looking dejected.

"I am not going to the party Bekah. Nothing you say, or bring me will convince me otherwise." Klaus watched as Rebekah opened her mouth to argue and he pressed on. " I will however be in the building. I've installed new state of the art security cameras and sensors, and I will be in the back security room seeing how they work with a large crowd, such as this party. If you want to see me," He gazed at Rebekah pointedly, "That is where I will be."

"You are no fun Nik. I will be far too busy recruiting possible buyers to spend time in the background with you." Rebekah pouted.

Klaus sighed. "I will be at the auction." He conceded.

Rebekah perked up at his words, sitting up straight in her chair. "As in at the auction, mingling with people, showing your face, not hiding in the corners?"

"Yes." Klaus bit out. "I will be the perfect Mikaelson: professional, courteous, and respectful." He said putting on his best blandly interested face, the very one he planned to be wearing for the auction tomorrow.

"Well," Rebekah began, scrutinizing his expression. "I suppose that will have to do." She stood up to leave, pausing at the door. "You had better be wearing that suit I bought you last summer, not whatever you wore last week when Elijah introduced you to the branch. You know I have better taste."

Watching as Rebekah walked out of his office, Klaus dropped his forehead onto his desk. He had no idea what suit Rebekah had bought him last summer. He'd probably shoved it to the back of his closet in London, or worse, if Bekah ever found out, given it away. Now not only did he have to endure the torture of making fake pleasantries during the auction, he would also have to deal with his sister's wrath.

* * *

Caroline looked down at the very long list of scribbled notes before her, thankful that her meeting with Rebekah seemed to finally be coming to an end. She was about to run out of room on the page and was desperately hoping Rebekah wouldn't add anything more to the 68 items she had already requested Caroline check, double check, or change before tomorrow's auction. At this rate, Caroline would have to stay late today, and arrive tomorrow at 7am just to accomplish all the tasks Rebekah had assigned her.

And on Monday she'd thought Rebekah might not give her a hard time, what a dream that had been. Rebekah had spent the last two and half hours going over every detail for the party and the auction, absolutely grilling Caroline on every little thing. Caroline was exhausted, starving, and if she was honest, pissed off. Rebekah Mikaelson was simply impossible to please, or she was a total bitch, or both. At this moment, her nerves frayed and patience gone, Caroline was going to go with both.

Resting her pen on notebook in her lap, Caroline looked up at Rebekah once more. She was seated behind an ornate, French-style desk, her blonde hair sleek, every hair perfectly in place. Rebekah looked up from her own notes, and met Caroline's gaze.

"Well I suppose that's all for now." Her crisp voice cut through the silence. "We seem to have gone later than I expected. Join me for lunch?"

Caroline had to consciously keep her mouth from falling open at Rebekah's suggestion. This woman had never, not once, in the last nine months given any indication that she even appreciated Caroline's work, let alone that she wanted to spend time with her outside of the office. Caroline could not help feeling suspicious about the sudden invitation, but she was also not in a position to refuse the offer.

"That would be lovely." She said, smiling as genuinely as she could.

"Excellent. Come on then, let's go." Caroline watched as Rebekah stood up abruptly, still completely puzzled. "Do you like sushi?" Rebekah asked, looking at Caroline, a smile on her face, all friendship and sweetness after spending the last two and half hours making Caroline's life hell.

"Yes." Caroline answered.

"Follow me; I know the best sushi place in all of New York."

Caroline watched as Rebekah strode out of the room, head held high, shrugging into a yellow trench coat. Caroline hesitated momentarily before following Rebekah out of the room. She took a few deep breaths as she trailed behind Rebekah and followed her outside. What in the world was she going to talk about over lunch with Rebekah Mikaelson?

* * *

Rebekah peeked over at Caroline, watching as she hid her face behind the menu. She was not particularly impressed by her avoidance. Really, what did Nik see in this shy goody-two-shoes?

"So Caroline, what exactly are your intentions with my brother?" She asked, frankly sick and tired of waiting for Caroline to look at her.

"Your brother?" Caroline frowned as if truly confused by her question.

"Yes, my brother." Rebekah bit back, trying to control her temper. Was this girl stupid, as well as boring?

"I intend to keep working for your brother; he's a very good boss-"

"Not Elijah!" Rebekah snapped. "Nik. What are your intentions toward Nik?" Rebekah glared, crossed her arms over her chest.

"Nik…oh you mean Klaus!" Caroline exclaimed.

"Of course I mean Nik. I saw you talking to him in the lunchroom yesterday." Rebekah accused.

Rebekah was about to roll her eyes at Caroline's apparent stupidity, when she saw Caroline put down her menu completely, sit up straight and look right at her, face serious.

"I do not have any 'intentions' toward your brother." She said firmly. "_He_ is the one who approached me yesterday, not the other way around." Rebekah watched as Caroline leaned forward before continuing. "If you asked me here to warn me off and make sure I wasn't trying to sink my claws into your dear brother, then you have nothing to worry about. I am not interested in pursuing your brother. I am interested in doing my job; a job that you seem to derive great joy from making impossible. So if this lunch is nothing more than a ploy to exert your dominance over my personal life, as well as my professional life, then you can eat alone. You have no right to tell me whom I can or cannot talk to on my lunch break, even if it's your precious brother." Caroline paused, her face flushed as she grabbed her purse. "I'll be going now."

Rebekah sat back, stunned at Caroline's sudden transformation. This was no 'retiring Miss' sitting across from her, but rather a confident, self-assured woman who knew precisely who she was. Perhaps she had judged too quickly and too harshly, not that she would admit that to Caroline. She still didn't want Caroline's paws all over her brother, her Nik, but perhaps Caroline didn't want that either.

"Your plans for tonight's party and auction were impeccable." She said, though it pained her to admit it. Caroline turned to look at her and slowly sat back down across at the table.

"Go on." Caroline said, arms crossed, face impassive.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, what do you want me to say? That I invent things for you to do, just to test you? Well I do." Rebekah admitted. "I needed to know you could do everything I needed, and apparently you can." Caroline remained silent, and Rebekah pressed on determined to get something accomplished during this disaster of a lunch. "But I stand by my statement about my brother. Stay away. If he approached you as you say, then that is very out of character for him. And you should beware. My brother is not a man to be trifled with, intentionally or no. If he cares for someone, he cares with his whole self. There is nothing halfway about Nik; it is all or nothing. He will wiggle himself into every aspect of your life until you have no secrets and no hiding place. It's overwhelming and suffocating, and the only way he knows how to connect with people. If that isn't something you can tolerate, and very few people can, then I suggest you distance yourself, quickly. I say this because I care for my brother Miss James. But I also say this for you: if you let him in and you hurt him, you'll have my brother's wrath to deal with, but you'll also have mine and all of my family's. I would think very carefully about my actions if I were you."

* * *

**I hope the confrontation between Rebekah and Caroline lived up to expectations. I know some readers were a bit upset with Rebekah, but her meddling comes from a good place.**

**Although I updated twice this week, I likely won't update again until next Friday. I plan to get back to the weekly Friday updates, as that schedule is just and easier pace for me to keep up with.**

**Please review! They totally make my day :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: First of all, I would like to send two huge Thank Yous to nfinneman and Klaroline Fantasies for making two gorgeous covers for this fic! They are both absolutely amazing and I will be alternating between them.**

**Secondly I'm updating at work on my luch break, so there will be a slight delay in putting up new links to the art in this chaprter on my profile, but I will get to it asap!**

**Thridly, thank you again to my betas! I really couldn't do this without your input and your wise understand of commas and semi-colons :)**

**Lastly, thank you so much to everyone who has been reading, reviewing, following and favouriting this story. You helped this fic soar past 100 followers in the past week and it's just amazing to see!**

**So enough from me, on with the story...**

* * *

"Where are you taking that?" Caroline shouted, striding after Peter, one of the junior members of the restoration department who was assisting with the auction set up. "Did you not read the order of presentation I gave you? It clearly states that the Bacon paintings are being auctioned last, and the Rockwell's are coming out first. Move that painting to the back of the line up. Right now!"

Caroline was completely exasperated by Peter and the entire auction set-up team. It was as if no one had bothered to read any of the documents she'd sent them yesterday after her meeting with Rebekah. It was driving her up the wall. She felt as if she was the only one who had any sense of urgency to get everything done to perfection before the auction began at 1:30pm. The double auction format had been her idea and it was her responsibility to make sure it went off without a hitch.

Adding to her stress for the day, Caroline couldn't get Rebekah's warning about her brother out of her head. Logically, practically, truthfully, she had no interest in getting involved with Klaus, and she certainly had no intention of leading him on, or breaking his heart. She knew that. But she also knew, if she was a hundred percent honest with herself, that there was something about him that drew her in. It was like he saw her; really saw her. Caroline had been hiding aspects of herself all her life: hiding her dates with boys in high school from her mother, hiding her passion for art in college because her friends and family assumed she would just start a wedding planning business since it was just so 'Caroline', and then spending the last few years hiding from almost everything, afraid to open herself up and risk rejection and exposure. With Klaus, Caroline felt like an open book, unable to keep anything back, always acting like the most honest and true version of herself. It was exhilarating and terrifying. It also sounded exactly like what Rebekah had warned her about: that Klaus would worm his way into her life, tearing down her walls and digging out her secrets. There was nothing that Caroline feared more than having someone prying into her past, breaking down her defenses, and leaving her exposed and vulnerable.

Caroline sighed and took a deep breath. The truth of the matter was she had gotten too comfortable here. She enjoyed her work at Mikaelson's, she loved the City, and she loved having a friend again in Katherine, someone she felt she could trust, someone she might be able to share her past with, someday when she was ready. In fact, she was so happy, she felt so normal, that she was actually attracted to a man for the first time in ages. After she'd escaped her former life, the mere concept of wanting to be with a man, wanting to be emotionally close to anyone, was inconceivable. Now, five years later with a patched up heart and almost fully complete sense of who she was, Caroline found that she wanted, very much, to open herself up to people again, to live full life, not a repressed existence, hiding in the shadows. Was Klaus Mikaelson the right man to let into her life, even if only a little bit? And even if she wanted to, could she keep him at bay?

* * *

"You missed an excellent party last night brother."

Klaus turned toward his bedroom door, annoyed that Kol had decided to barge in unannounced as he was getting ready to head to the New York branch.

"There was even some interesting art on display. A large print of the 'Sabbath Black Sabbath' album art was covering one whole wall in the foyer. It was quite stunning: an excellent conversation piece. I can't imagine Rebekah was behind that choice, I don't think she even knows Black Sabbath is a band." Kol continued, leaning against the doorframe.

"I was there Kol, I saw the entire party." He replied curtly.

He too had noticed the poster art and enjoyed the symbolism. Drew Struzen was one of the best commercial artists of the last few decades, and Klaus appreciated his technique, even if the art was far too mainstream for his taste. He had to agree album art did not seem like something Rebekah would be familiar with. He suspected this was another surprising area of interest of a certain blonde haired auction coordinator.

"On a grainy video in the security office, not in the flesh, in living colour." Kol retorted.

"I'm going to the auction; I will interact with people there." Klaus replied, frowning as he tied his tie.

"The auctions are such a bore." Kol said flippantly. Klaus watched as a grin spread across his brother's face. "But I do have something planned for this evening. A small house party to celebrate our success at today's auction."

"A small house party? For success we have yet achieve?" Klaus inquired. He was far too wrapped up in the details of his security overhaul at the office to put much effort into protesting Kol's latest plan to annoy him.

"Yes. You should come. Have a drink or two, loosen that tie: relax." Kol said casually.

Klaus adjusted his suit jacket, feeling far too constrained and restricted.

"You have a boxing gym you go to, yes?" He asked, keeping his tone neutral.

"Yes." Kol's face scrunched in confusion at Klaus' sudden change of topic.

"If you step into the ring with me tomorrow, I will make an appearance at your party tonight." Klaus bargained.

After the stress of the last few days, he would relish the opportunity to get out some aggression and beating his younger brother to a pulp sounded like an excellent option. Especially if he was going to fake interest in buyers at the auction, and put up with ass kissing sycophants and drunk idiots at Kol's party.

"Deal." Said Kol, striding forward to shake hands on the agreement. "Don't think you've got the edge on me old man. This isn't fencing back at Harrow." Kol's smirk was confident and his grip on Klaus' hand was so tight, it was almost painful.

"I should hope not." Klaus smirked back, showing no signs of pain from Kol's firm grip. "You're an abysmal fencer and not a particularly good horseman either."

"Times have changed. Coming to America, I've found baseball and boxing to suit me very well." Kol announced smugly, dropping Klaus' hand. "You're going to love the party Nik." Kol said confidently as he walked out the door. "But you're going to regret this bargain. I am going to kick your ass!"

* * *

Caroline inspected the art lined out before her, happy to see all of the art selected for the second auction, the 'Dark' themed art of the "Light and Dark" double auction, was ready and properly arranged. Due to the chaos earlier in the morning, Caroline had felt like she hadn't had a second to stop and catch her breath during the first auction. Absolutely nothing seemed to go as planned: the paintings had been in the order Caroline had planned, but the auctioneer had had a older copy of the presentation order and kept calling out different paintings than expected. Caroline and her team had been run ragged grabbing the right paintings at the last minute.

Just minutes earlier the first auction had ended. Caroline had instructed her team to take a fifteen minute break before coming back to assist with the next auction, which should be starting in less than an hour. Caroline remained with the art, listening to Rebekah's voice float from the other side of the curtain that divided the set up area from the auction room. She was thanking everyone who bid, giving them instructions for where to pay for their art, and reminding everyone that a second auction was coming up shortly.

As much as she was dreading it, Caroline knew that as soon as Rebekah stopped speaking, she would need to poke her head out from behind the curtain and see if she could find Yves, the auctioneer, to make sure they both had the same order of presentation list for the next auction. Caroline did not want to spend another auction scrambling around: for someone who prided herself on her organizational skills it was simply unacceptable. Generally, Caroline would never step out from behind the scenes during an auction, but she considered this an emergency. And she was hoping the auction room would be mostly empty as buyers paid for their newly acquired art, used the washroom, and indulged in the complimentary food and drink Mikaelson's offered in the foyer.

Realizing that she could no longer hear Rebekah speaking, Caroline silently approached the deep red velvet curtain separating her from the auction room, moved it just slightly to the side and peered out into the room before her. She saw empty chairs and a few people standing near the back of the room, including Rebekah. Seeing Yves still positioned near the podium at the front of the room, Caroline crept out, hoping to stay discrete. Glancing over at the small crowd on the other side of the room once again, she saw a head of familiar dirty blonde curls. Ducking her head down and focusing on Yves, she prayed Klaus didn't see her.

"Yves!" She hissed, trying to find the balance between keeping her voice as quiet as possible and also making it clear she needed Yves to listen to her: now.

Thankfully, he looked up at her words and scurried over next to her, understanding immediately that she wouldn't have ventured out to see him if it wasn't an emergency.

Caroline decided it was best to complete the rest of their interaction in gestures, rather than words, grabbing the clipboard right out of Yves' hands when he reached her side and comparing his presentation order to hers. Quickly seeing he once again had an outdated copy, she replaced his with the proper list and scribbled 'wrong presentation list!" in big red letters over his old list, removing it from his clipboard altogether. Yves seem to cower slightly under her glare, but Caroline had no sympathy for him. She had sent him the updated list, he had simply not checked his email before coming in for the auction this morning; this screw up was all on him and when they were not in a public forum, she was going to let him have it.

Satisfied that she and Yves were now on the same page, quite literally, Caroline lifted her head, unable to resist one last look toward the back of the room, hoping she'd remained unseen. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw Klaus, looking over his shoulder, eyes on her, the corner of his mouth twitching with the beginnings of a smile.

She was so absorbed in reading Klaus' expression, watching his eyes crinkle in the corners as he grinned at her, that she almost didn't notice the man standing behind him, the person he must have been talking to moments earlier. When she finally did see the man over Klaus' shoulder, cool blue eyes in an impossibly handsome face, her heart stopped and her throat closed tight, she could feel the blood draining out of her face. Her body moved, without her even thinking about it, and she stumbled awkwardly into Yves, who grasped her by the arm and held her upright. Somewhere, as if in the distance, she heard him asking her if she was all right, but she could only shake her head, unable to get any air into her lungs to say anything.

Caroline struggled to move her limbs, and through sheer persistence she reached the red velvet curtain, moving past it into the backrooms. She frantically closed the curtain tightly blocking the auction room from her sight, as if a fabric barrier would protect her from the man in the other room.

Caroline's feet worked on their own, moving her through the building, down hallways, wordlessly passing catering staff and Mikaelson employees alike, until she reached the ladies room. Thankfully the staff bathroom was empty, as Caroline leaned over the sink, breathing deeply, trying to keep her lunch down as her stomach churned. She had no idea how long she stood there, hunched over, waiting for the fear and panic to pass. Finally feeling her system calm down, Caroline shakily turned on the taps and splashed water on her face; anything to shock herself out of the stupor she was in. Lifting her head slowly and looking at her pale reflection, Caroline seriously wondered how she was going to get through the rest of the auction.

'_Pull yourself together'_ she told herself. _'You are a professional. You are not afraid. You will not let your past rule your present.'_

Pushing herself upright, Caroline wiped the water from her face and pinched her cheeks, giving them some colour. She checked her hair and her clothes and when she was satisfied that she didn't look like a woman who had just seen a ghost, she took a steadying breath and headed back out. It was time for Caroline to prove that she could be stronger than she ever thought she could be, certainly much stronger than the girl she'd been five years ago.

* * *

If Klaus had to listen to one more middle-aged banking executive ramble on about the importance art in modern America, he was going to go off on someone. And it wasn't going to be pretty. It appeared that everyone at the auction wanted Klaus and all the Mikaelson's to know how very much they loved art, but absolutely no one had a controversial opinion about anything, obviously afraid to rock the boat. Klaus enjoyed a good debate about art, he craved heated arguments, and he loathed when people went out of their way to agree with everything, not having the guts to take a stand.

He was grateful when the auction began, and he could stand at the back of the room, listen to Yves auction off items, mentally tally their profits for the night, and watch the security team like a hawk, to make certain everyone was doing exactly as he had instructed. So far he had a list of three security guards who would be on the receiving end of a personal lecture about the meaning of 'professionalism' and 'attention to detail'.

As he watched his sister graciously thanking all the bidders who had purchased art during the first auction, he wondered how he was going to make it through the next hour of mandatory mingling. Having an extended break between the two auctions was logical and practical, but also torturous, especially when his patience had already worn so thin.

Somehow, after suffering through an inane conversation with a horribly pretentious state politician, who had declared Bacon's art to be 'vulgar', Klaus found himself standing beside Rebekah, who was currently entertaining a small crowd.

As his sister prattled on about something or other, Klaus looked over the group around him, eyes landing on the man across from him, one of the few people he had seen all night who under 40. Giving the man a thorough once over, he decided he did not like the sly smile on his face as he watched Rebekah speak, the casual way he held his tumbler of whisky, or his casual, comfortable stance. Whoever this man was, he was over confident, bordering on arrogant, and was likely at the auction for the free food and drink, not for the art.

Desperate for distraction, something to keep his mind off how much he'd like to wipe of the smirk off the face of the man across from him, Klaus turned his body minutely to the left and glanced casually over his shoulder. He was thrilled to find Yves, head down and chastised faced as Caroline wrote aggressively on a notepad beside him. Klaus admired the way Caroline's dark plum coloured dress hugged her body, emphasizing the swell of her breasts and her lean waist, before it flared out over her hips and floated down to her knees. He had never seen her in anything but pants, and found he thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to see her legs exposed: long, lean and toned. Bringing his attention back to her face, he felt his amusement grow as he watched Caroline scold Yves in complete silence, with several pointed glares and forcefully scribbled notes. She really was a sight to behold: cheeks flushed, body tense, and pen tucked behind her ear.

As Klaus gazed at Caroline, briefly wondering what had her in such as tizzy, the conversation around him and his earlier irritation seemed to fade away. Klaus let himself enjoy the sight before him: the crease in Caroline's brow as she scolded Yves, the frantic yet gracefully movement of her hands as she gestured, and the impatient tap of her foot on the floor. For reasons unknown, Klaus found himself fixed on her hair; firmly wrapped up in some sort of twisted knot. What did her hair look like down? How long was it? What would it feel like to run his fingers through it, pulling her close, brushing her hair aside to expose her neck to his mouth –

Klaus was pulled abruptly out of his latest Caroline centred fantasy when he noticed Caroline had lifted her head and was looking straight at him. Her eyes were wide in shock, her lips parted slightly. He watched her lips curve up slightly, beginning to smile, and felt he own matching hers. Klaus felt an ache in his chest at the sight of Caroline's softening gaze; when was the last time someone had looked at him like that? As if they were truly pleased to see him? Klaus closed his eyes, contemplating his own questions, knowing the answers were 'no one' and 'never'.

Opening his eyes once more, his fists clenched at the sight before him. Caroline's face has lost all colour, the clipboard in her hands was shaking, and her eyes were wide with horror. Swamped with conflicting emotions; guilt, concern, confusion, anger, Klaus froze in place, wanting to make his way over to Caroline immediately, but afraid to scare her even more.

"Isn't that right brother?" A voice sounded to his right. "Nik?" His sister's irritated voice broke through his haze, demanding his attention.

Wrenching his now troubled gaze away from Caroline, Klaus consciously wiped his expression clean, focused on Rebekah, realized he had no idea what she was asking him about, and chose the best answer he could come up with.

"Of course." He replied, feeling Rebekah's rest hand on his arm, keeping his attention focused on the group around her.

The men surrounding Rebekah chuckled in amusement and Klaus vaguely wondered why his reply was so humourous. However, his thoughts were still dominated by Caroline's terrified expression, and his intense need to know what had caused such a strong reaction in the beautiful blonde.

"Well gentlemen, I think we should proceed into the foyer. We wouldn't want to miss out on the refreshments." Rebekah spoke, ever the perfect hostess.

Feeling Rebekah pull him forward, her hand firmly gripping his arm, Klaus almost growled in frustration. He had never had much use for Rebekah's manipulating and controlling ways and tonight was no exception. Unfortunately, in such a public setting, his options were limited. Public image was of the utmost importance tonight, and heaven forbid he, the black sheep of the Mikaelson clan, should make a scene.

Begrudgingly, Klaus escorted Rebekah from the auction room, playing the role of doting brother, all the while haunted by the look on Caroline's face and the fear that he had been the one to put it there.

* * *

"Where is he?" Rebekah shouted, trying to be heard over the thumping bass pulsing through the Central Park penthouse. "Kol!"

"What Bekah?" Kol snarled, turning away briefly from the scantily clad redhead who had been grinding up against him.

"Where is Nik?" She demanded, frustrated by her brother's lack of attention.

She'd been searching through the penthouse for half an hour trying to find Nik with no success. She had, however; been accosted by a group of belly dancers, traumatized by a two naked men in the bathroom, and deafened by the thunderous music. Kol knew how to throw a raucous party, but he had no sense of subtlety or elegance.

"How should I know little sister? I've been otherwise occupied celebrating our recent record setting sale." Kol smirked, leering over the girl by his side.

Rebekah crossed her arms over her chest and glared intensely at brother. She was sick of his evasions. She wanted to find Nik and then leave this tacky party to go drink martinis with her girlfriends.

"Fine Bekah." Kol sighed, turning away from the overly eager young woman dancing beside him, and facing his sister fully. "Last I saw him; he'd headed out to the balcony with a bottle of scotch. A fetching, but very drunk young woman followed him out. I believe she might have been trying to seduce him." Rebekah tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for Kol to get to the point of his story. "Since she then proceeded to throw up on his shoes and cause him to storm out of here, I'd say she was unsuccessful." Kol finished, chuckling.

"Excellent. So you have no idea where he is then." Rebekah criticized, shaking her head in annoyance.

"Why the sudden urge to see our dear brother?" Kol inquired.

Rebekah sighed, "I wanted to speak to him about his sudden and inappropriate interest in one of our employees."

"Inappropriate interest in one of our employees? Do tell." Kol encouraged, leaning against the wall and settling in to listen.

"He seems to have taken a shine to Miss James, the auction coordinator." Rebekah admitted, still none too pleased by the turn of events.

"Miss James? The one that looks like a naughty librarian?" Kol pondered. "You're certain?"

"I'm suspicious." Rebekah amended, still unsure of whether she believed Caroline's denials and completely confused about Nik's recent behavior.

"You're spying on them, aren't you?" Kol said, a gleam of mischief in his eyes.

"Of course." Rebekah stated succinctly.

"Well consider me your new ally." Kol said, clapping his hands together. "Anything I can do to disrupt Nik is a win in my book."

"I don't want to disrupt him. I want to protect him." Rebekah clarified, sick of the petty feud between her two brothers.

"Do you want my help or not?" Kol pressed.

Rebekah mulled over Kol's offer: it would be very helpful to have another set of eyes keeping track of Nik and Miss James, someone who could report anything they did together that seemed out of the ordinary. On the other hand, Kol did not have pure intentions and she knew he would relish any opportunity to take advantage of Nik's weaknesses, real or imagined.

"Fine." She agreed. "But we, _you_, are just observing. No impulsive actions, no telling Nik we suspect anything. If he even gets a hint that we are prying into his life he'll lock everything down, fly back to England as soon as the security check is over, and we'll learn nothing! I want to understand our brother, Kol. He's been hiding himself away for years, and although I certainly don't approve of an office romance, I will take this chance to see something, anything, resembling real feelings out of Nik. And if Miss James so much as puts a foot out of place, I will crush her like a bug."

"Of course Bekah. How could you doubt me?" He assured her.

"This party is so bourgeois." She said, looking down her nose at the mass of drunken party goers scattered around the penthouse. "I couldn't possibly stay another minute." Turning on her heel, Rebekah strode out of the penthouse, determined to salvage her night of celebration elsewhere, perhaps at that hot new wine bar in Manhattan.

* * *

Caroline could feel the ache in her muscles as she made her way slowly to her office. It was already dark out, but Caroline had felt it was imperative that she stayed until every last piece of art was properly stored for the night, and all the evidence of the auction had been stripped away. If staying late had allowed her to grab a couple bottles of champagne from the caterer and store them in her office, well that was just a perk of the job, nothing more. Since her flash from the past earlier in the day, Caroline had made sure she stayed in the shadows, not even venturing near the auction room. She had clung to her clipboard like a lifeline, focusing only on her checklists, ticking items off furiously as the auction moved on. Staying late to assist with clean up had simply been a way to work off some of the anxious energy she had been keeping contained all afternoon long.

Entering her dark office, Caroline left the lights off, but kept her door ajar slightly, allowing a single beam of light to stream through the room. Making her way carefully to her desk, she ducked her head underneath it and removed a small black case taped to the underside of her desk. Flipping open the case and revealing the keypad, Caroline began typing in numbers as quickly as her stiff fingers could manage. Bringing the phone up to her ear, she waited with bated breath for an answer.

"Hello?"

Something about the voice on the other end of the phone, the familiarity, the comfort, and the strength of it, made Caroline's whole body quake. She clutched the phone harder in her hand afraid she might drop it, desperately clinging to it like a lifeline. She knew she had to speak, but she felt overcome with relief at the sound of the voice on the other end of the line, and she was suddenly at a loss for what to say.

"Caroline, is that you?"

_Oh, that voice._ Waves of emotion washed over her, silent tears streamed down her cheeks, and she finally found her voice.

"Mommy…"

* * *

**Dun dun dun...**

**I hope this chapter, and Caroline's blast from the past, have kept you guessing.**

**Theories on what may happen next are more than welcome, as are suggestions for art and artists you would like to see in this fic. **

**Next up: Klaus, Caroline, a dark office... Chapter 8 will be posted next Friday!**

**Please review! Seriously it's the feedback I get that keeps me going some days.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Happy Valentine's Day to all! I just wanted to send out another quick thank you to everyone who is reading, reviewing, following and/or favouriting this story. Your encouragement is much appreciated!**

**Thank you again to my betas, I hope that someday I will put commas in the right places ;). I do not own TVD, obviously, but this plot is all mine.**

**Also, I inadvertently stole a line from Pitch Perfect in this chapter, it's not the exact line, but it is close. I didn't realize it until I was re-reading, but I chose to keep it in as an homage to a great piece of cinema. Let me know if you catch it!**

* * *

Chapter 8

When Klaus arrived outside the Mikaelson's New York branch, it was dark, with no signs of life inside. It was ten o'clock on a Saturday night, and while the rest of the city, including the penthouse he shared with Kol, was buzzing with activity, the art district where Mikaelson's was located was quiet and abandoned, which was absolutely perfect. After the day he'd had, surrounded by people he didn't care about, a night of solitude was exactly what he needed.

Given the incessant texts he was receiving from Rebekah, hiding himself in a locked and alarmed building seemed like a particularly good choice. He did not want to hear one more word about how he had worn the wrong suit, and been too preoccupied during the auction. Rebekah's prying was stifling and unwanted. Klaus knew that his siblings were concerned about him, had been concerned about him for years, but he would never appreciate them hovering over him, expecting him to explode, or implode at any moment. And he was more than tired of them trying to fix him. Well Rebekah and Elijah wanted to fix him, Klaus was relatively sure Kol wanted to annoy him to death, resurrect him and then annoy him to death all over again.

Punching the security code into the control panel near the side entrance, Klaus pulled the door open and stepped into the eerily silent office. He let the darkness envelope him like a blanket, it calmed his nerves and quieted his restless soul. He had always felt most comfortable, more truly himself, in the shadows, observing others, but never seen. His footsteps traveled confidently through the halls, the route to his office memorized.

Slipping inside his office, he kicked off his shoes, stared at them momentarily, and then threw them into the trash. Rebekah had commented earlier that while he was not wearing the suit she'd bought him, he was wearing the Italian leather shoes she'd given him for Christmas last year. Listening as the expensive shoes hit the trashcan with a bang, Klaus thought back to the revolting moment that had driven him from the penthouse earlier in the evening.

He had escaped the party at the penthouse by stepping out onto the balcony with a bottle of scotch, thankful for a few moments of solitude. His thoughts were consumed with Caroline's white face, and his aggravation at Rebekah for clinging onto him all through the second auction, introducing him to every single client in attendance, preventing him from having any time to even think about how he was going to address his current Caroline predicament. Determined to have some quality time to develop a plan of action alone on the balcony, he had been more than a little displeased when a giggling woman with a mass of blonde curls had interrupted him. As he'd frowned down at her with clear distaste, she had been rambling on about inane topics, like how nice the view was, how she hoped the Yankees would do well this year, and 'Oh my god, you're one of the Mikaelson's aren't you?'. Her fake surprise and her hand on his suit jacket, had lead him to fantasize about pushing her over the railing and off the balcony, but he'd refrained: far too many potential witnesses. At that moment, as if she wanted to give him another reason to plot her demise, she had hunched over and puked right in front of him, splashing his shoes in the process. He hadn't bothered to say goodbye to Kol before he'd angrily left the penthouse.

Focusing on the present and happy to be rid of the offending garments, Klaus tossed his suit jacket onto his office chair and ripped off his tie and his socks, enjoying the feel of the cool tiled floor under his feet. Feeling peckish, he decided to check out the lunchroom refrigerator and see if the caterers had left anything behind.

* * *

"You can't just take people's food you know. That's stealing." A familiar voice said, breaking through the silence in the lunchroom.

Klaus turned to look to his right, watching a shadowed form approach him in the darkened room, slowly nearing the light cast off by the fridge. He watched in complete silence as Caroline slowly entered the lighted area beside him, arms crossed over her chest.

"I was hoping for cake. Gertrude makes a delicious-"

"- German chocolate cake. I know." Caroline interrupted, her mouth twitching in amusement. "I helped her eat one on Thursday afternoon."

"And you didn't leave any for anyone else did you?" Klaus accused; amused at the thought of Caroline and Gertrude hiding in the back storage room, polishing off a whole cake between them.

"We may have. It was a couple days ago." Caroline answered vaguely.

Klaus leaned against the fridge, staring at Caroline. She looked calm and composed, no hint of her earlier panic to be seen. She was still wearing the muted, but beautiful dress she'd been wearing earlier in the day, but a few soft tendrils of her hair had slipped down from the twist at the back of her head, and now delicately framed her face. He wondered for a moment if he had misread her reaction at the auction, but quickly dismissed his doubts: people did not go white as a sheet for no reason.

"You don't have shoes on." Caroline observed, obviously puzzled by his lack of footwear.

"I had an unfortunate encounter at Kol's celebration party with a young woman who couldn't hold her alcohol; my shoes were innocent victims of her poor aim." Klaus replied.

"So you ran away, came back to the office, got rid of your shoes, and your socks, and decided to raid the fridge?" Caroline asked skeptically, brows arched.

"I wouldn't say I ran away," Klaus began, watching Caroline roll her eyes, "perhaps I left hastily." He amended. "I find Kol's parties to be raucous, lacking in food, and basically endless. I'm sure I could go back tomorrow and there would still be an assortment of people destroying the living room." He described; still frustrated that he'd been chased out of his own accommodations for the night.

"I see." Caroline said.

Klaus watched her look down at her feet, as if contemplating her next move.

"Well, if you're hungry, we'll just have to do something about it." Her voice sounded authoritative and determined; as if she had decided he was a problem she had to find a solution for.

"And what do you suggest we do?" He asked, leaving the decisions up to her. "Since raiding the fridge is apparently off limits."

"I was hoping that the caterers might have left something, but I checked earlier and all I managed to snag were a couple bottles of champagne." She admitted. "So our options are leave and find food, or order delivery." She said simply.

"Are you interested in leaving the office?" He asked, keeping his tone light. She'd obviously stayed far later than she needed to, wandering around the building in the dark, just as he had been: two lonely, troubled souls, trying to stay hidden.

"Not particularly." Caroline paused, looking him up and down before continuing. "Do you like Chinese? Cause I know a place that makes wonderfully terrible, MSG laden Chinese food that just might hit the spot."

Klaus felt himself smirking; he had no idea how he'd had the good fortune to meet Caroline in the offices this evening, but he was going to everything in his power to make sure she stayed right where she was.

"Sounds perfect, love."

* * *

"You have to have one! Everyone has a favourite movie! How can you not have a favourite movie?" Caroline glanced over at Klaus, who was seated on the floor of the lunchroom next to her.

Against her better judgment, she had spoken up when she'd seen him standing alone in the lunchroom, about to take other people's things. Then, with no intention of doing so, she had apparently invited him to eat a late night dinner with her: so much for keeping her distance.

After Caroline had called to place an order of food large enough to feed six, she had retrieved her recently acquired champagne, and they had each started drinking their own bottle while they waited for the Chinese food to arrive. To pass the time, and keep herself distracted from her emotional rollercoaster of a day, she had decided to start a game of "What's your favourite?". So far, it wasn't going very well.

"I don't spend my time at the cinema." He said, as if that explained his complete lack of interest in popular media.

"You must have seen something that you enjoyed." She prodded. "Come on, not even once?" She teased, poking him in the side, and giggling when he jumped at the contact.

"Perhaps you should tell me your favourite movie." He suggested, as he rubbed his hand over his side.

"I have a favourite movie for every genre: animated, comedy, romantic comedy, action, drama, foreign films." She rattled off. "But, you cannot turn this back on me and try to distract me! Answer the question." She commanded.

"_Nosferatu_." Caroline watched him closely as he answered, keeping his eyes focused on his drink, never looking her way.

"Why?" She asked, genuinely curious.

"I don't believe that was part of the game." He said, his voice low and rough. "It's your turn to answer, Caroline."

"What do you want to know?" She said, adjusting her posture, sitting up straight, with her shoulders back against the wall behind her.

"Everything." He said simply, and his pure sincerity made her stomach flip. "All your favourite things, your dreams, your plans: everything."

"That," Caroline pointed at him, as she took a swig of champagne from her bottle, "is not how the game works either. One favourite at a time, no dreams, no plans, just favourites."

"Favourite season."

"Spring. Favourite city?"

"Paris. Favourite New York landmark?"

"The Empire State Building or Tiffany's. Ooh or maybe Washington Square Park. I can't choose, there's just too much to see and it's all so new for me." Caroline sighed. "Favourite dessert?"

"Crème Brule. Favourite song?"

"Dream a Little Dream of Me."

"Every night, love, every night."

"Klaus." Caroline scolded, looking over at him. She found herself transfixed by his intense gaze. His eyes, murky blue grey with flecks of green, never left her face. Caroline was sure no one had ever looked at her the way Klaus did: as if he could spend every day studying her and always find something novel. It made her feel impossibly beautiful and terribly fragile. She didn't deserve to be worshipped and it was only a matter of time until he saw beneath her shiny veneer and was disappointed by the average woman underneath.

Just as Caroline began to feel like to only options to break the irrationally strong connection between her and Klaus was to either kiss him senseless, or run away, a shrill tone interrupted them. They both pulled away from each other immediately, grabbing their phones.

"Hello." Caroline spoke into her phone, embarrassed to hear how high pitched and frantic her voice sounded.

She nodded along to the voice on the other end of the line, still feeling completely attuned to what Klaus was doing beside her. She could feel him shifting and she was absolutely certain her was staring at the back of her neck as she hunched over talking on the phone.

"Okay. Just a minute, we'll come to you." She replied after listening for several minutes of rambling from the caller on the phone.

Caroline hung up the phone silently and turned back to Klaus, making sure to keep a safe distance between them.

"The food is here. The delivery guy is standing at the front door. He's very confused. I should go get my purse." She explained.

"Stay here, sweetheart. I'll get it." Klaus stood up, flashed his credit card out of his wallet, and walked briskly toward the door.

Caroline watched him walk away, thinking about how gentlemanly it was for him to insist on paying for the food she'd ordered, and finding herself agreeing with Leslie: she really didn't mind watching that ass walk through the door.

* * *

"Oh my god, that was so good." Caroline moaned with satisfaction.

Klaus watched as Caroline lay down on the couch in Elijah's office, finally finished eating Chinese food. If he hadn't just witnessed Caroline eating enough food to feed two grown men, he never would have thought it possible that such a slim young woman was capable of eating so much in one sitting. He had found himself impressed by Caroline's appetite and her lack of shame. Women always seemed to feel they had to hide the fact that they enjoyed food, but Caroline didn't, and it was a refreshing change from watching Rebekah eat salad.

After they'd being interrupted in the lunchroom by the delivery man's phone call, Klaus had felt Caroline pull away from him, both in terms of how physically close she would get to him, and also in terms of what she would reveal about herself. The 'What's Your Favourite?' game had ended, and Caroline had instead spent several long minutes rambling about the appeal of Americanized Chinese food. Deciding that they could eat more comfortably in Elijah office, on his very nice leather furniture, Klaus had guided Caroline through the halls to his brother's corner office. That they also had access to Elijah's liquor cabinet was a side bonus.

Klaus sat on the ground, leaning up against Elijah's leather club chair, a tumbler of whisky is his hand, and the last chicken ball poised to enter his mouth. After listening to Caroline extoll the virtues of 'food so bad for you, it's good', Klaus had decided to wholeheartedly embrace the less than stellar food, finding some truth in her theory after eating a half a dozen egg rolls and at least twice as many chicken balls.

"You aren't as horrible as I thought you would be." Klaus looked up at Caroline, who was still lying on the couch, staring at the ceiling. Her statement, breaking a rather long silence between them, was unexpected and he wasn't quite sure how to respond.

"Is that so, love?" He said neutrally.

"Yes." She said firmly, turning onto her side to look at him, causing more strands of her hair to fall against the side of her face. "Richard from accounting spent weeks spreading rumours about you and scaring the bejeezus out of everyone."

"Did he really?" Klaus replied, eyes narrowing as he thought abut how he would be questioning Richard from accounting in a few short days.

"Oh, no, you do not get to make that face!" Caroline exclaimed, pushing herself into a sitting position. "I can see the wheels spinning in your evil mastermind brain. I never should have mentioned Richard. You will not take this out on him." She instructed. "He certainly wasn't the only one gossiping."

"But he was gossiping." Klaus pointed out, not at all willing to let Richard off the hook. "Creating fear and dissent in the ranks is not helpful for our business. It is my job to protect my family and this company, and my duty to dispense discipline to employees as I see fit."

"You're not going to fire him, are you?" Caroline asked, her voice concerned. Klaus could hear the guilt she felt laced in every word.

"No, love, I won't fire him, unless of course he deserves to be fired for something other than being the office gossip." Klaus replied begrudgingly.

He was tempted to threaten Richard with the possibility of termination, and he likely would do just that, however, Caroline did not need to know that particular detail. His assurance that he would not fire Richard seemed to have eased her fears and her guilt, and she leaned back into the sofa, letting her body relax onto the cushions.

Determined to take Caroline's mind completely off her perceived misstep, and learn more about her, Klaus quickly changed the subject.

"How did you discover art?" He probed, hoping she would not reject his line of questioning.

She looked at him briefly, brows furrowed, and then looked back at her own glass, swirling her whisky around, before taking a drink. Just as Klaus began to think she might not answer, she exhaled loudly and sighed.

"No one thought I'd be doing this, you know." She stated, looking over his shoulder at some random point behind him as she spoke. "I was supposed to start my own party planning business. Everyone thought I would, even in high school. I chaired every committee and planned every school event. I was superficial, popular, and a control freak. I knew exactly what I was going to do for college: I was going to get as far away from my small town life as possible, I was going to be head of a sorority, and I was going to get a degree and then plan weddings for millionaires." She paused then, staring out the window overlooking the city, before she let out a forced chuckle, shaking her head in disgust. "God, I sound horrible. I was horrible."

"You were young, sweetheart." Klaus commented.

"I was naïve." She conceded, but then continued on. "I took an elective in my first term, freshman year. An art appreciation course: we studied art history, we went to museums and galleries, and looked at art. It was just a way to show students art, you know for those of us who'd never even been to an art museum before, like me. And I," Klaus watched as Caroline's eyes glowed with emotion as she spoke, as if every word was precious and full of meaning, "I fell in love. I wanted to go to that class everyday. I started going to museums and galleries on the weekends, just because I wanted to see more art, or see the same art all over again. We had to write papers about our reaction to the art we saw, and I loved it. I loved writing about art, and I loved talking about art with my classmates. I wanted to talk about art with everyone! But I kept it from my friends, my sorority sisters, my cheer squad teammates; because I was afraid they wouldn't understand. My professor, she encouraged my interest. I wrote my final essay and she made a point of taking me aside to talk about my work. I thought I'd failed. I was absolutely devastated. But then she told me I had talent; that I had an eye for art, and a special ability to write about art that really brought the piece to life for the reader. I'd never really had that before: someone who complimented me on my mind, not my drive, or my looks, or my bossiness, but my intelligence. And years later, when all my friends and family found out about my passion for art and dismissed my interest and told me I'd never make it working in a museum, that I should just plan parties like I'd always said I would, I held onto her words. I wonder how she knew sometimes, how she knew I could do this. I didn't know."

Klaus watched Caroline's face; the sadness, the disillusionment, and the self-doubt that played across her features. He leaned closer to her, careful not to touch her, but determined to get her to meet his eye.

"You are intelligent, strong, beautiful, and full of light. I don't think there's much of anything you couldn't accomplish if you set your mind to it, Caroline."

Caroline blinked down at him, breaking her gaze away from his when he finished speaking, as if she was uncomfortable with his sincerity. Again, Klaus saw her take a breath, steel herself, and push forward, driving herself forward passed her troubles.

"My story must seem strange to you, not having seen art until college. I bet your grew up in museums." Caroline said, a forced smile crossing her face as she looked down at him.

"Hmm." Klaus replied, nodding his head, eye downcast, avoiding Caroline's gaze. He was uncomfortable at having the tables turned and being asked to reveal pieces of his past.

The truth was he and his siblings had spent long hours in museums and galleries, and with art and antiquities dealers when they were young. His parents had still been establishing the Auction House and any time they spent with their children seemed to involve the business in some way. Klaus could recall that until he was almost twelve, the family estate had rooms packed with art. Rooms the children were not supposed to enter. Yes, art had always been part of the business and their lives; but it was also been clearly off limits for children. He and his siblings had spent most of the their time at museums and other locales left in offices and back rooms, told to keep themselves occupied, stay quiet, and not touch anything. They were supposed to be perfect little mini-adults: quiet, respectful, and polite. Never putting a foot out of place. And though Finn and Elijah had been content to read books, or complete schoolwork, he had never taken well to being confined. Instead, he'd become an expert escape artist, sneaking out to wonder the halls, spying on employees, and appreciating the art. Rebekah and Kol usually escaped with him, and got up to their own brand of mischief. They were often caught, mostly due to Kol's affinity for playing pranks, and Klaus, as the ring leader, was always punished: Mikael was not a merciful man. Klaus had many fond memories of art, falling in love with it, just as Caroline had described, but his memories were muddied by his rebellion against being caged, and his father's angry words and punishing hands.

"We did have the advantage of exposure to art and antiquities from a young age." Klaus admitted, deciding that was as much as he was willing to give.

"It must have been wonderful." Caroline replied, her tone dreamy, and her head leaning back against the couch cushions, a genuine smile on her face.

"Have you ever been to the basement?" He asked casually.

"The basement here, where all the art and antiquities are stored until they go to restoration before an auction?" Caroline inquired, arching her brow. "No, of course not. Staff can only go in when escorted by Elijah. He's the only one who knows the security code."

"Is he now?" Klaus smirked, watching as Caroline's grin grew to match his. "Come with me, love." He said as he stood, and offered her his hand. "I'll give you a tour of one of the best collections in all the world."

* * *

Caroline was trying to control her laughter, but it was impossible. Watching Klaus running and sliding across the polished marble floor of the foyer in his borrowed gym socks was hilarious. He looked so focused while he was running, and then he flapped his arms around like a baby bird struggling to fly while he was sliding, throwing himself completely off balance. Perhaps the bottle of champagne and multiple glasses of whisky were not working in his favour she thought with a grin.

After they'd left the basement, where Caroline had wandered around in awe, listening to Klaus described the history of each piece of art, and arguing with him about Van Gogh, whom Caroline loved and Klaus insisted was over rated, Caroline had felt full of excited energy. So, she'd challenged him to a sliding duel, running off to grab her gym socks from her office, and they'd been running and sliding like a couple of children for the last twenty minutes. So far, Caroline had been significantly more successful than Klaus, who had admitted to never having done anything remotely like this in his life. She was really starting to question his childhood: no fruit roll ups, no floor sliding, what had he done when he was a child?

As she stood watching Klaus, drinking water form her new water bottle, which she'd been able to personally thank him for earlier in the evening, she thought about how wonderfully unexpected the whole evening had been. She had purposely stayed late at the office in order to avoid Katherine's questions, and her own intrusive thoughts. She had honestly been hoping to talk to her mom, drink champagne, stumble drunkenly home, and then pass out on her bed into a dreamless sleep. Instead, she had found Klaus in the lunchroom, gorged on Chinese food, drank champagne and whisky, and talked and laughed for hours with a man who only a week ago she'd described as an asshole.

Deciding not to overanalyze, Caroline put down her water bottle, and skipped over to Klaus.

"One more time." He said, holding up a finger as she approached. "One more to decide the official winner."

"Oh, you think all your practice just now is going to make a difference." Caroline accused, enjoying the chance to throw out some trash talk. "I have been doing this for years." She said confidently.

"I believe I may surprise you." He said, his full dimpled grin crossing his face.

As they both walked to the far side of the room and prepared for the run up, Caroline scoffed at Klaus. "Dream on, Mikaelson."

Standing beside him at their official 'start line', Caroline gave Klaus one more sideways glance, watching as he tucked himself into the ready position. She quickly followed suit, and then began the countdown.

"3…2…1…go!" Caroline shrieked.

As expected, Klaus was ahead of her, his longer legs propelling him forward during the run up to the slide. Caroline pushed herself, running as fluidly as her inebriated body would allow her to, and then eased into a slide of her own. As she began to glide along the floor, she saw Klaus to her left, body tilting and arms waving frantically fall over into her path. Jumping over him, thankful for her quick reflexes, Caroline stumbled to a halt. Turning back to check on Klaus, she found him lying flat on his back on the floor, hand over his face.

"You look like a southern bell who just fainted." She said with a giggle as she stood over him. "Anything besides your pride wounded in the fall?"

"I am perfectly fine." He muttered.

"You are perfectly drunk, is what you are." She reached down, grabbing the hand he had laid across his forehead, and pulling it upwards. "Come on, let's go. You should get some sleep; we'll go back to Elijah's office."

They walked silently back to Elijah's office. Caroline kept expecting Klaus to say something, maybe some flirtatious quip or something about art, but maybe he was suddenly feeling as exhausted as she was. Walking into the office, Caroline looked longingly at the couch, suddenly wanting nothing more than to lie down and get a couple of hours sleep.

"You should take it, sweetheart." Klaus' voice floated over from her left.

She turned to look at him, and he gestured toward the couch, inviting her to lie down.

"I couldn't-"

"I insist." He replied firmly. "I'll take the floor."

Caroline found that she simply could not resist the offer. Her body felt as if it wasn't going to remain standing unless she sat down, so she sank onto the couch. Looking over at Elijah's desk, she realized the clock read 3:30am. She'd been up since 5am, and the prospect of sleep was like paradise. Lying down on the couch, and curling onto her side, her watched Klaus grab the cushion off the club chair to use as a pillow as he settled onto the floor. His face was the last thing she saw before her eyes closed, and she fell asleep.

* * *

Caroline woke, groggily feeling the surface beneath her, completely confused about where she was. She could feel something damp against her cheek, and as she raised her head, she realized was had been lying in a small pool of her own drool. _Gross._

Caroline moved slowly, sitting up as quietly as she could. Looking around the room, she saw a familiar desk and realized she was in Elijah's office. Eyes still panning around the room, her gaze fell upon Klaus, still sleeping on the floor.

_Oh. My. God. Oh, my god!_

The last night's activities came back in a jumbled flood as she looked down at Klaus, lying on the floor, facing the couch as if he had fallen asleep looking at her.

_What they hell was I thinking? How could I spend a whole night at the office with Klaus?_

Feeling her breathing getting shallow as her regret over her actions increased, Caroline picked herself up off the couch. Tiptoeing passed Klaus, she the left the office as carefully as she could, keeping her fingers crossed that he wouldn't wake up before she fled. Caroline scurried to her office, grabbed her shoes, and left the building as quickly as possible, beyond relieved that Klaus did not find her. Each step she took down the sidewalks of New York, her guilt and self-loathing for spending time with Klaus grew. At this rate, Caroline was afraid she wouldn't make it home before her inevitable breakdown.

* * *

Katherine was pacing madly in her living room, checking her cell phone for the hundredth time that morning, and irritatingly flinging it onto her bed when it displayed no new messages.

"Come on!" She hissed, looking down at the offending piece of technology.

She had been calling and texting Caroline all night and into the morning. The last she'd heard was a text from Caroline after the auction, letting her know she was going to stay late and help with clean up. Since then, it had been radio silence and Katherine was more than a little concerned. It was very unlike Caroline to not answer her phone. As Caroline's best friend, hell her only friend, in New York City, Katherine also happened to know that in the last nine months Caroline had never stayed out overnight. Never. She wasn't dating, she didn't do one night stands, and she didn't visit her family.

Unable to stay in her apartment doing nothing, Katherine decided to head across the hall and knock on Caroline's apartment for the fifth time this morning and see if she was home. If she didn't answer, Katherine was going to go down to Mikaelson's Auction House and raise hell. She was going to give this Klaus Mikaelson, head of security, who managed to lose her best friend, a piece of her mind.

Katherine stepped out into the hall determined to put her plan into action. She knocked loudly on Caroline's door, but received no answer and couldn't hear anything when she pressed to ear against the door. Cursing in frustration, Katherine turned around to make her way outside and bring her wrath down on the Mikaelson's, however long it took her to find them.

As she walked toward the stairs at the end of the hall, a blonde, head hanging down low, appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Caroline." Katherine called, irritated to see Caroline coming in, unharmed and oblivious to her hours of sleepless worry.

However, Caroline did not reply to Katherine's call, and upon closer inspection, Katherine noted her shoulders were shaking and her movement forward was slow and disjointed.

"Caroline?" She said again, moving forward quickly, concerned that Caroline was going to lose her balance. "Caroline are you okay?" She asked as she reached her side, touching her arm.

Caroline seemed to finally register her presence and Katherine watched as she raised her head to meet her gaze. Shocked to see Caroline's face streaked with mascara and covered in tears, Katherine put her arm firmly around Caroline's shoulders and lead her into her apartment.

"Come one, Care. Let's get you inside."

Caroline followed along, as if in a trance, as Katherine opened the door to her apartment and lead Caroline to the couch to sit down.

"I'm so stupid Kat." Caroline whispered, finally breaking her silence. "How could I do that? What was I thinking?"

"You are anything but stupid Caroline. Whatever happened, we can fix it: together." Katherine assured her, sitting down gently next to her friend.

"I need to sleep." Caroline sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. "I promise I'll tell you everything when I wake up, but I need a few more hours to rest." Caroline explained, her voice breaking. "I'll just go to my place-"

"You will stay here." Katherine instructed. "Rest in my bed for a few hours. I'll make us something to eat for lunch, and when you're feeling up to it, we'll talk."

Katherine watched as Caroline practically limped into the bedroom and collapsed on the bed. Appalled at seeing her friend so broken, such a shell of her former self, Katherine sat steaming on the couch, long after Caroline fell asleep. If someone had done anything to Caroline, they were going to have to deal with one pissed off Katherine Pierce.

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed the Klaroline heavy chapter, even if it didn't end on the most positive note.**

**I had a lot of feedback form the last chapter (thank you again), and several theories about the man at the auction who scared Caroline and why he was there. No one has been exactly right, but several people are close in their theories. I promise more info about Caroline's past will be revealed in the next few chapters, and there will be more characters joining the story.**

**Please read and review! Feedback is amazing and makes me smile :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thank you again to everyone who is reviewing, following, favouriting and reading this fic! Thanks also to my lovely betas for all their help with editing.**

**I'm sorry for the slight delay in posting this chapter, it's later on Friday than I usually post, but life has a funny way of interrupting your plans sometimes. Better late than never I suppose!**

* * *

Chapter 9

Klaus could feel the beads of sweat trailing down the back of his neck, he could hear the scuff of his feet as he shifted in the boxing ring, and he could feel the stale, thick air of the boxing gym pressing against his skin. The ache in his ribs hit him sharply with each breath he took, the blows Kol had landed earlier in the match had been precise and powerful, but he pushed the pain to a corner of his mind and focused on the man across from him. He and Kol were on their ninth round in the ring and had gathered quite the crowd around them. Klaus was surprised to find that Kol had not been exaggerating his boxing prowess; he really had found his athletic sweet spot in the US. Not that Klaus was concerned he was going to lose. After the last few rounds, Klaus was absolutely certain he had figured out Kol's strategy, and his slight tell before he launched a left hook.

Clearing his mind, blocking out the chants from the crowd in the gym, and how his sweat was running into his eyes, Klaus focused on Kol's form across from him. He consciously slowed his breathing, and zeroed his vision in on Kol's movements. Time seemed to slow as Klaus observed his younger brother pacing, and then he did it; he shifted his weight to his back foot, glanced at Klaus' chin and let his left hook fly. Klaus dodge the blow easily, and slammed an uppercut into Kol's jaw. Kol's eyes immediately rolled back, and he fell hard to the mat, knocked out cold.

Satisfied, Klaus walked over to his corner, dropped his gloves to the floor, grabbed his water bottle, and walked back toward his brother. Kneeling by Kol's head, he squirted some water on his face and tapped his cheek, leaning over to get a good look at his brother's face as his eyes opened slowly.

"Seems I have nothing to regret after all little brother." He said, smirking down at Kol, who was currently squinting his eyes and groaning softly.

"This is not-" Kol sputtered, turned to the side and spit out blood, "this is not the final bout Nik. I will get you." Kol threatened, as he accepted Klaus' offered hand and hauled himself back to his feet.

"Perhaps in a few years, mate. You'll need the practice. You're far too easy to read." Klaus said with a shrug.

"Easy to read? I am a master of disguise!" Kol grumbled, as he rubbed his jaw and flinched in pain.

Klaus scoffed as they both walked to the change room. "It's only a simple critique." Klaus noted, not really caring if Kol heeded his words or not.

"I didn't think you even boxed." Kol muttered as he gave Klaus one last look, before he turned and headed to his locker.

Klaus sauntered comfortably over to his own locker, stripped out of his sweaty clothes and headed for the showers. As the hot water hit his muscles, soothing the ache in his shoulders, from the boxing and the time spent sleeping on the floor last night, his mind wandered back to familiar ground: Caroline.

To say he had been disappointed when he'd woken up this morning, alone, with no trace of Caroline to be found, would be an understatement. He'd been furious, and more than a little embarrassed that she'd been able to sneak away without him waking. He's felt so attuned to her, so connected it seemed almost impossible that he wouldn't have been aware of her every move, even in his sleep. Her escape ate at him. And he was sure that's what it had been: an escape. She'd fled from him, from them, from whatever connection that had developed between them over the course of the night. There'd been something there, a kinship of sorts, Klaus could feel her hesitation to let him in, to expose herself; a feeling he understood all too well. He may have understood Caroline's fears, but that did not change his feelings, his hunger for her; to know her, to touch her, and to see every part of laid bare before him.

Caroline had secrets. Of that much he was certain. Secrets that made her hold herself back, afraid to make herself vulnerable, troubles that caused her hide alone in her office, and fears that caused her to tremble at the auction. Although he'd initial thought she was afraid of him; that he had brought on her paler and trembling at the auction, her reaction to him last night had suggested otherwise. Klaus needed answers. He had to know why; he had to dig, until he knew everything, until he could protect his family, and Caroline, from anything.

Having reviewed the security footage closely over the past week, Klaus was quite certain Caroline was not doing anything underhanded at work. In fact, aside from some petty theft of office supplies, and an atrocious amount of office gossip in the lunchroom, all of the staff at the New York branch appeared to be on the straight and narrow. Which meant that something outside of the office was causing Caroline fear and anxiety.

Stepping out of the shower and wrapping a towel around his waist, Klaus walked back to his locker, and grabbed his jeans and a grey Henley. As he dried off and pulled on his clothes, Klaus planned his course of action. Monday would mark the beginning of his one-on-one employee interviews, and as he had promised in the lunchroom last week, he would be starting with the new employees, including Caroline. It would be an excellent opportunity to delve into why Caroline had reacted the way she had at the auction and determine if her actions would have any negative consequences for Mikaelson's.

Klaus tugged on his boots, and slung on his jacket. As he looked at himself briefly in the mirror, taking in his slightly swollen face, and messy curls, he found himself hit by a moment of intense honesty. His motives to check into Caroline's past by suggesting he wanted to protect his family's business, was simply a front for his intense desire to know her, to understand this beguiling woman who had taken him so unexpectedly by storm. But that was an admission best kept between him and his reflection.

* * *

Caroline stood at Katherine's kitchen counter, steadily mixing cookie batter, as Katherine stood beside her getting cookie sheets ready. She knew the silence had to be killing Katherine, but she just wasn't sure what to say, or where to begin.

When she'd awoken from her nap, nestled tightly in Katherine's bed, Caroline had had to give herself a pep talk just to move her legs, stand, and exit the room. When Katherine had spotted her, she'd immediately explained the only thing she had for lunch was soup. She'd looked apologetic, but Caroline had hardly had the energy to be disappointed. She felt so emotionally drained from her earlier breakdown, it seemed difficult to string two words together. Thankfully, the soup had been restorative. Feeling her energy return, and wanting to put her best foot forward, Caroline had suggested baking her favourite double chocolate chip cookie recipe. Katherine wasn't much help in the kitchen, but she had readily agreed to the prospect of baked goodies, and after a few trips to Caroline's apartment to grab ingredients, here they were, silently working, neither sure of what to say. Though Caroline could swear she could hear the gears turning in Katherine's head as she tried to figure out what had happened the night before. Her restraint in not giving Caroline the third degree was impressive, and quite out of character.

Deciding to say something, even it if was a safe topic, far from what Katherine really wanted to hear, Caroline spoke up. "I've always loved baking." She started, trying to sound chipper. "My mom was always working when I was younger, she never had time to cook and I didn't care to learn when I was a kid, but I baked. I think I started because of bake sales at school. I wanted to have something to bring, like all the other kids, and my mom never had time to make anything, so I taught myself. By the time senior year of high school rolled around my double chocolate fudge brownies alone raised half the budget for the cheer squads' trip to nationals."

"You don't see her often do you? Your mom?" Katherine asked.

Caroline glanced over at her friend, knowing the question had purpose, it appeared subtle and caring, but it wasn't, at least not completely. Katherine wanted her to open up about her past, she wanted to know if her past had something to do with last night, and answering this question was going to open a chapter of her life that Caroline did not really want to revisit. She already feared she'd left herself vulnerable to Klaus, was she really ready to trust Katherine?

"I know what you're doing." Caroline said with a sigh, looking at Katherine with a sideways glance.

"Care, you can't expect me to just sit back and keep my mouth shut!" Katherine replied, hands on hips. "Number one: it's completely impossible for me to not want to solve a mystery, and number two: you're my friend and you came in this morning horribly upset and I need to know what happened! God Caroline, how can you just stand there and expect me to act like nothing happened?" Katherine demanded.

Caroline braced herself against the counter momentarily, taking in Katherine's words. She felt the air puff through her nostrils as she tried, and failed, to control her breathing. Heat raged up from to chest, to her throat, and streaked her face. Unable to keep the turmoil of the past few days, hell the past few years, at bay, Caroline exploded.

"What the hell am I supposed to say? I mean, god, why is everyone pushing me? 'Tell us about yourself Caroline. Divulge all your deepest darkest secrets. We just want to get to know you, we would never betray you, how could you possibly think otherwise?' Well, I'll tell you why I think otherwise: because I trusted people before, I thought they cared about me, I thought they supported me, and they didn't. And the one person I thought would love me forever crushed me. He stomped on me, he ground me right into the pavement until there was nothing left but scattered pieces and I have spent years putting myself back together!" Caroline cried, her voice breaking, and her breathing ragged.

Sucking in a few deep breaths and regaining some of her composure, Caroline pulled herself together and continued, her voice quiet. "So it's hard Kat. It's hard to just let people in. I want to take care of myself." She said, hating the desperate edge at crept into her voice.

"You think I don't understand that? I have spent years looking out of number one: me. And I don't regret being selfish, or self-centred, or whatever other insult people want to throw my way. I am the most important person in my life, and I'm not ashamed to say it." Katherine stated, full of the confidence Caroline envied. "You should have some defenses Care, you should. It's smart, and it's safe. But no man is an island. I don't want to take over your life Care, or control you, and I definitely don't want to be like that bastard that thought he could keep you under his thumb. I'm your friend, and I want to help you. But you have to talk to me." She said, her last statement as close to pleading as Caroline could imagine Katherine ever being.

"I'm…" Caroline frowned, and hesitated, unsure of what to say, how to describe Klaus, and all that he made her feel. "I think I'm attracted to someone." She finished lamely.

"Attracted to someone?" Katherine repeated, and Caroline could see how hard she was trying to stay calm, but her twitching hands betrayed her excitement.

"Yes, I'm attracted to someone. And this is so not what I want in my life right now." Caroline rested her face in her hands, turned away, and then quickly spun back to Katherine, stomping her foot. "I want to be the professional, kick ass single Caroline, with a badass friend who lives down the hall, who knows exactly how to tell the newest Mikaelson to get lost. Not a stressed out auction coordinator, who just got threatened by one of her bosses, and can't even sort out her feelings for a man except to say they are intense, and scary, and mostly, sometimes, maybe, unwanted."

"Wow. That was…wow." Katherine paused, leaning back against the counter. "So details: who threatened you?"

"Rebekah." Caroline said simply.

"That bitch!" Katherine exclaimed, with equal parts empathy and sarcasm. She'd certainly heard Caroline complain about Rebekah's condescending nature many times in the past. "And the man?"

"Klaus." Caroline grimaced.

"Well I can't say I'm surprised." Katherine said with a shrug. "You were having sex dreams about him before you even knew his name."

"But I didn't want to have sex dreams about him!" Caroline insisted. "And I don't want to have these 'feelings' about him either. I can't go there again, I'm not ready!"

"Go where exactly, and feel what? You just said you don't even know how you feel, right?" Katherine pointed out. "So, just limit your time with him. Be professional; keep things strictly business. Give yourself time to figure out what you feel. I mean, he can't expect more than that from you anyway, right?"

"Well…" Caroline sighed, biting her lip. "I may have spent the night with him at the office last night and then ran away."

"You had illicit office sex with him?" Katherine squealed.

"NO! No. I did not have sex with him." Caroline shook her head emphatically. "There was no sex of any kind. There wasn't anything like that, no making out, no groping, not even a peck. We just talked, and ate Chinese food, and he helped me relax." She explained, purposely leaving out details about her scare at the auction. There were some things she knew she had to deal with on her own. Seeing Katherine's skeptical look and arched eyebrow, Caroline clarified further. "Without sex Kat, he helped me relax without sex."

"That might be even worse Care." Katherine paused, and seemed to mull over the situation for a moment before she continued. "You should take a step back. No, you should take a leap back. Treat this weekend like it was a mistake, and be clear about it. Boys are stupid and they need very clear messages. Tell him you want things to be professional between the two of you and don't take no for an answer."

"I can do that." Caroline said, with more optimism than confidence.

"Of course you can. I do it all the time when I have an office fling. We have sex, it's hot, they get clingy, and I put my foot down and make it known that we're either having no-strings-attached-sex, or we're going back to being colleagues and nothing more."

"And how does that work for you?" Caroline asked.

"Perfectly. The men don't always take it so well, their egos are so sensitive, but like I said before, I am the most important person in my life, not some hook up." Katherine said nonchalantly. "Now, are we going to make these cookies or what?"

* * *

Kol leaned back, head dangling over the arm of the leather chair in the living room of the penthouse, a bag of frozen peas balanced precariously on his face.

"Well?" Rebekah's voice pierced the silence, demanding an answer.

"For god's sake Bekah. Let a man recover in peace." Kol groaned from under his makeshift icepack.

"You been out with him for the better part of the day. Do you expect me to believe you learned nothing?" Rebekah said, ripping the icy peas off his face, forcing him to look at her.

"We fought in a boxing ring little sister. We didn't have a heart to heart conversation about his love life." Kol replied pushing himself into a sitting position on the chair with a wince at the ache in his ribs. "All I can say is he seemed particularly prickly this morning and he obviously relished in the opportunity to slam his fists into my face."

"Everyone enjoys slamming things into your face Kol, you bring out the best in people that way, especially your siblings." Rebekah stated sardonically.

"Your love and affection truly touches me Bekah." Kol said, voice dripping with insincerity, as he touched his chest delicately, a look of fake concern on his face.

Rebekah scoffed at his reaction, not taking him seriously for an instant. "What does this mean Kol? You're supposed to be helping me." She insisted.

"It means Nik is going to get out of his bedroom, where he's sketching like the brooding artist he'd like to be, any minute now and discover your secret plan. It means Elijah will be here for our mandatory 'family' dinner in less than 30 minutes and I'd like to put those peas back on my face so he might miss the fact that my jaw is swollen to twice it's normal size and not badger me about going boxing with Nik. It means you should get the hell off my back Bekah!" He growled with irritation.

"I thought you enjoyed taking risks Kol. Perhaps I asked the wrong brother for assistance in this matter." Rebekah sniffed, nose in the air.

Kol popped out of his chair, rising to the bait. "Of course I was the right brother! I'm insulted you would doubt me. There's this thing called patience, perhaps you've heard of it?" Kol scowled, as he reached down to grasp the bag of frozen peas back from his sister and sat down to reapply them to his face. "You may be interested to know our dear brother took a very long time in the shower after the bout, and evaded all my suggestive questions and comments about why he'd been delayed. Perhaps he had a certain someone on his mind." Kol smirked at Rebekah, watching her respond with a satisfied smile, then lounged back on the chair and gently settled the peas back onto his face.

* * *

Elijah sat at the head of the dining table at slowly savouring his meal, which had been carefully prepared by his personal chef, and gazing out at his siblings who had gathered together for a family meal. He was pleased to have his family united, even if he had had to bribe Rebekah with promises of front row seats at New York fashion week, threaten to cut back Kol's monthly spending allowance, and literally drag Niklaus back inside when he had tried to flee earlier.

"Is anyone going to tell me what happened today?" He asked, breaking the silence in the room.

"I bought an exquisite gown today that is a possible option for the gala event-"

"Rebekah, do you honestly think 'Lijah is interested in your shopping habits?" Kol interrupted. "He's obviously more intrigued by my latest escapades."

"Indeed. Pray tell, what happened to your face Kol?" Elijah inquired, eyebrow arching.

"Someone seems to have knocked their fist into it." Kol said, a huge grin plastered on his face.

"Can't imagine why anyone would do that." Rebekah muttered, looking down at her food.

Elijah watched his younger siblings, as Kol glared across the table at Rebekah, and Niklaus sat comfortably beside her, grinning from ear to ear.

"I take it your fist found Kol's face today Niklaus?" Elijah deduced.

"It is a surprisingly easy thing to do." Klaus replied, smirking at Kol, who looked like he was about to fling his peas at Klaus in retaliation.

"I do wish you would not resort to violence." Elijah commented mildly. "There must be something else you can do together as brothers that does not involve competition or harming each other."

"Not bloody likely." Both his brothers chimed in simultaneously, immediately glaring at each other across the table, annoyed at their identical responses.

Elijah sighed, wishing once again that Kol could be interested in leisurely safe pursuits, and that Niklaus would bother to interact with anyone beyond a surface level. It troubled him to see both of them sitting at the table, obviously in pain from their earlier boxing match. Niklaus hid his discomfort more successfully, but Elijah could spot his hesitancy in twisting his body to his left, and suspected he'd received several good blows to his ribs. Kol's face, on the other hand, bore clear evidence of his lack of success in protecting himself from his brother's assault. Why Kol seemed to disregard Niklaus' past, which included years spent travelling the globe alone, and extensive military training, was baffling to him. Rebekah and Kol both seemed to dismiss those years, when Mikael had turned his back on Niklaus, and their brother had promptly, rebelliously joined the military to gain some sense of independence. Unhappy with where his thoughts were leading him, to some of the many dark years in the Mikaelson home, Elijah focused himself back on the table in front of him and decided to engage the only sibling who seemed interested in conversing.

"How is the planning going for the gala Rebekah?" He asked, watching Rebekah perk up immediately.

"It's going swimmingly. It's a pleasure to be planning on my own, without any input from Miss James." Rebekah said smugly.

"I was under the impression that Miss James did all the dirty work for you." Niklaus commented, never looking up from his food.

"Well you were mistaken." Rebekah huffed in irritation. "She assists me and I have to correct her oversights." She clarified, shifting uneasily in her seat.

"Should I be concerned about Miss James' job performance?" Elijah asked, troubled that both Niklaus and Rebekah seemed to have complaints about his newest employee.

"No!" A chorus of three voices rang out around the table.

"Finally something you can all agree on." Elijah noted, eyebrows raised. "Is something going on with Miss James?"

"No." Again, three voices chimed in, all sounding slightly irritated.

"Nothing I should look into." He probed.

Looking out over the dining room table, Elijah was met with complete silence. Kol was stuffing food into his mouth as if he was trying to set a speed record, Rebekah was inspecting her nails, and Niklaus was making a sculpture, of what looked like the Tower of Piza, out of his mashed potatoes.

Sensing he wasn't going to get anywhere with his line of questioning, Elijah pushed his chair away from the table, and stepped into the kitchen to grab the dessert left out by his chef. He looked up from the counter, classic New York cheesecake in hand, and gazed out at his siblings. Watching Kol flick his peas across the table at Niklaus as Niklaus held his knife up threateningly, and Rebekah rolled her eyes, he wondering why he'd even bothered to bring them together for a family dinner. Then he thought about that night, that painful, heart wrenching night when they all; he, Finn, Kol, Rebekah, and Henrik, had caught Niklaus sneaking out of the house to leave Mikael's wrath behind. 'Always and Forever' had been their vow to each other that night, and Elijah intended to keep his promise, regardless of difficult it was.

* * *

Miles away, a lone man stood by a window, looking out at the busy streets below, cars whizzing by and pedestrians aggressively marching down the sidewalks, never looking up to see they were being watched. He enjoyed his position of power; his birds eye view of the city. He had been born with the privilege of a respected family legacy, and it had given him a foot in the door of political scene. But he had not relied on his last name alone to get where he was today. He had clawed, manipulated, and coerced his way to his present position. At the age of 30, he was by far the youngest political power in the state, his influence felt in every arena of the political world. Within the next ten years he planned to make the move to federal politics and when he set his mind to something he always accomplished his goals; he let nothing and no one stand in his way. Clenching his hand tightly, reminded of the only time his elaborate plans had been foiled, the man angrily snatched up a decanter from the liquor cabinet to his right and poured himself a stiff drink.

As he let the burn of the brandy scald his throat, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his telephone ringing. Striding over to his solid oak desk, he grabbed the receiver with irritation.

"I thought I said I didn't want to be disturbed today." He growled into the phone, furious that his personal assistance had put through a call and ruined his plans for a solitary Sunday.

"When have I ever listened to requests for silence?" Said a confidently smug voice on the other end of the line.

"Salvatore. What do you want?" The man asked, pacing behind his desk and running his hands through his short brown hair.

"I saw someone yesterday. A certain blonde that I haven't seen in years that I hear you're looking for. I thought you might be interested in the details…for a price." Salvatore replied devilishly.

"What's your price?" The man growled.

"A small investment in my latest business venture will suffice. Say fifty thousand."

"Fine. Now, where did you see her?" He demanded, his pulse pounding.

"She's in New York, working at some auction house, hiding in the back rooms. I only saw her for a second. She's as beautiful as ever." Salvatore commented.

"Email me the details. Immediately." He barked out and then slammed down the receiver.

"Caroline." Her name came out in a wicked whisper.

It had been so long since he'd even had a clue where she had disappeared to after her unexpected departure five years prior. He had people across the country and around the globe on the lookout for any sign of her for years. He'd almost given up hope that he would find her. But now it seemed that fate was on his side, and she had miraculously crossed his path once again.

Walking back to the window and picking up his brandy once more, he took a sip as a calculating smile played on his lips. Revenge was a dish best served cold and he truly looked forward to inching his way back into her life. He would start slowly, subtle hints and vague clues, and he would continue until her terror and fear were so heightened that she would be helpless to protect herself from him. Yes, he relished the chance to see her eyes wide, her hands tremble, her breath catching in horror when she finally laid eyes on him again.

Sitting back in the chair by his desk, he swirled his drink aimlessly, his thoughts full of darkness, violence, and schemes. Caroline was going to rue the day she ran from him.

* * *

**I hope you liked it!**

**So who do you think the mystery villian is?**

**Next Chapter: Klaus and Caroline meet again for the first time since their night at the auction house, and a face from Caroline's past makes an appearance in New York.**

**Please review! Reviews keep me going (and chapter 11 is being a total *# !^ to write lately, so some inspriation would be much appreciated!).**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So here it is, chapter 10! It's a long one. Thank you to my betas for all their input and assistance.**

* * *

Chapter 10

Caroline sat at her desk staring at her computer screen, trying to process the information in front of her. She had three new emails, all sent in the wee hours of Monday morning, before she'd gotten to her office at 9am, from three different Mikaelsons. Firstly, Elijah had sent out an email to the entire staff to announce a 10th Anniversary Gala to celebrate 10 years of American expansion for Mikaelson's Auction House on the 15th of July, three months from now. This is not bad news, but the catch was that all employees were invited, and encouraged to bring a date. After all, this was going to be one of the biggest social events of the summer season in New York. There was no way Caroline could keep this hidden form Katherine, which meant she was going to have to go to a public event, full of strangers, and more worryingly: media. It was imperative Caroline did not get her face published in a widely read newspaper or magazine.

Secondly, Rebekah had sent her an email saying she would appreciate assistance in planning an 'Open House' event at the New York branch next month, where all employees would be invited to bring family and friends to an evening event to see the Auction house behind the scenes, and have the opportunity to meet the Mikaelson family. It was an annual event that Elijah had instituted to formally thank all employees and their families. Caroline fully supported the event itself, but she was certain that despite Rebekah's request for assistance with colour schemes and catering choices, this was really another chance for her to try to scare Caroline away from Klaus. And given Caroline's actions on the weekend, she couldn't help but feel that Rebekah may have reason to be more than a little upset.

Lastly, Klaus himself had emailed to say he would be dropping by this afternoon to conduct her one-on-one interview. Caroline could not stop her stomach from churning as she thought about seeing him again for the first time since their night together. She and Katherine had spent time, at Caroline's insistence, role-playing how she should respond to Klaus when she inevitably saw him again at the office. By the end of the role-playing sessions, Caroline had been bent over from laughter at Katherine's exaggerated British accent and her deep 'man-voice'. On the practical side of things, she did have several good options of how to tell Klaus she wanted to have a professional relationship with him and nothing more. But practicing with Katherine was one thing, and talking to Klaus quite another; she never seemed to act as she thought she should when he was around. She hoped today would be an exception.

Lost in her thoughts, she was startled when her office door opened and a handsome young man with a carefree grin strode in and sat down in the chair across from her.

"Mr. Mikaelson." She said, unable to keep the confusion out of her voice.

"Oh, please, drop the formalities, call me Kol. Mr. Mikaelson is my father and the less I think about him the better." He said, lounging comfortably, legs outstretched.

"Is there something I can help you with?" She inquired, still completely baffled by his presence in her office.

"Actually there is." He said with a smile as he leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "You may be aware that I am the head of our advertising division, I specialize in social media networking for the entire company." He explained, flashing her another grin.

Caroline had not actually been aware of Kol's position in the company, not exactly anyway. He was seldom in the office before noon and he seemed to spend more time chatting with Leslie, Ashley, and Anna then he did in his own office working on business matters.

"Yes of course." She said pleasantly, agreeing with him instead of admitted her ignorance.

"Excellent." He exclaimed, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "So I'm going over all our employee profiles and social media accounts and I've noticed your twitter account isn't very personal." He said focusing on her, suddenly more serious.

"I've kept my account focused on the art and promoting Mikaelson's events. I believe that is what it's for: promoting the company." She said, keeping her comments professional, unsure of what Kol meant by being more 'personal' on her work twitter account, which she was uncomfortable having in the first place.

"Yes, all those pictures of the art are wonderful. But you my dear, are rather gorgeous, and-"

"What are you implying Mr. Mikaelson?" Caroline cut in, not at all happy with where this conversation seemed to be heading.

"I'd like you to post more pictures of yourself." He paused and looked her over, scrutinizing her in a way that made her bristle in anger. "Though, perhaps not in your current attire. Something more colourful maybe." He suggested, tilting his head to the side in thought. "Show a little skin, smile; you know sex sells." He ended with a smirk and a wink, his eyes resting on her breasts and then moving up to meet her gaze.

"That's enough." Caroline said her voice flat. "If Elijah tells me I have to make changes to my social media presence I will. But I will not sit here while you leer at me and suggest I use my body to help you sell art! That is absurd and this company is above such juvenile tactics. You can leave. Now." She commanded, motioning to the door.

Kol stood slowly, the smirk still plastered on his face. "You're feistier than I thought Miss James. No need to mention this to Elijah, just consider it a misstep on my part." His smirk turned into a placating smile, as he slipped through the door and left.

Caroline flopped back into her chair with a loud sigh. She wasn't sure if she should mention this encounter with Kol to anyone, or what she would say if she did. Kol had always seemed so immature, reckless and carefree; perhaps this was nothing more than a misjudgment on his part, a youthful error. Either way, she had far too much to worry about already to waste another moment thinking about Kol Mikaelson, he simply seemed harmless, especially when compared to Klaus.

* * *

Klaus was sitting completely still in his seat, muscles clenched, and body taunt with tension. When he had arrived at Elijah's office this morning to check in about his plans of the upcoming week his brother had failed to mention that Mikael would be joining them via Skype chat. Klaus was well aware that this small, but vital piece of information had been kept from him purposefully: Elijah was very cognizant of the fact that Klaus would have attempted to duck the meeting if he knew Mikael was involved.

Now he sat beside Elijah, face void of expression as he listened to Mikael's criticism.

"I expected more progress." Mikael spoke harshly. "I shouldn't be surprised at the slow pace, given your poor leadership skills boy."

Klaus felt the hair on the back of his neck bristle in response to Mikael's words, and though he was trying his best to keep his anger in check, he could feel his nostrils flaring in frustration at the unwarranted critique.

"Father, we're proceeding on schedule and as planned." Elijah interjected, keeping his voice controlled and giving Klaus a quick sideways glance.

"Well I hope you have some legitimate findings to report by the end of the week. I have tolerated your incompetence in the past, but will not be so forgiving if you cannot have security under control before your mother and I arrive in three months time. Do you understand me boy?" Mikael threatened.

"Yes." Klaus ground out through clenched teeth.

Mikael cackled at his forced reply. "Temper, temper, Niklaus. When will you learn control? No son of mine would be so weak."

Klaus struggled to keep his eyes on the screen and Mikael's face. It was not the first time Mikael had thrown his illegitimacy in his face and it certainly wouldn't be the last. It bothered Klaus more than he could ever express that his heart clenched with each insult and he was never sure he would fully recover.

"Everything will be resolved well before the gala event. And we can both be glad I am no son of yours." He bit out, unable to prevent himself from rising to the bait Mikael had carefully chosen.

"Niklaus is on schedule to complete the security overhaul well in advance of your arrival." Elijah added, no doubt trying to direct the conversation away from Klaus' bloodline.

"And what will be his purpose when he is done, hmm? I suppose he will just languish around?" Mikael questioned.

"I had suggested Niklaus take a vacation. It has been sometime since he stepped away from the business." Elijah said lightly, obviously hoping not to stir up any more discord.

The truth was Mikael did not approve of his children taking time away from the business, and he was especially harsh on Klaus, dragging his heels until Elijah could convince him Klaus would have a legal case to demand time away from work. Over the years, Klaus noticed that Elijah had become more and more capable of convincing Mikael to allow him vacation time without Klaus having to make threats. It was very helpful, since Klaus avoided interacting with Mikael at all costs.

"Hmm." Mikael murmured non-committally. "I will find a time to connect with you again Elijah. I have pressing matters to attend to hear, I must be off." Mikael finished, effectively ending the discussion.

Klaus watched impassively as the screen went black and he was left alone in silence with his brother. His thoughts were a jumble and his emotions were stirring. Half of him longed for the conversation to have never happened, and the other half of him wished Mikael was still on the screen so he could tell him exactly what a no-good-son-of-a-bitch he really thought he was. Not that arguing with Mikael had ever done him any good at all. All the satisfaction that he felt from initially getting his hatred off his chest and directing it right at the man who had made his childhood a living hell was always destroyed by the way Mikael could turn his words back on him and make him feel like nothing more than a helpless child once more.

The sound of Elijah clearing his throat broke Klaus out of his negative spiral.

"Your work has been exemplary Niklaus." Elijah said, looking up at Klaus cautiously. "He is mistaken in his doubts and his criticism brother."

Klaus leaned back in his chair, swiveled to face Elijah, and tented his fingers carefully.

"You cannot undo the past brother." Klaus said letting his hands fall back to his sides.

"And I am genuine in my sincerity that your work is, and has always been excellent." Elijah insisted.

Klaus pushed himself up from his seat, stood abruptly and crowded into his brother's space. "I don't need your pity 'Lijah. I am more than capable of getting this job done and ignoring Mikael's petty insults without your little pep talks." He growled, irritated by Elijah's obvious concern.

"It wasn't a pep talk, Niklaus, it was the truth." Elijah said, standing, putting them chest to chest.

"Enough of this non-sense, brother." Klaus breathed out in exasperation. "You're lucky Mikael and I haven't murdered each other, the thought certainly crosses my mind frequently." He muttered, striding past his brother and slamming Elijah's office door behind him.

* * *

Caroline was sitting at her desk, getting ready to have lunch at her desk, as she attempted to get a start on the itemized list of things Rebekah wanted her to book for the upcoming open house. She only had a month to help Rebekah get everything organized, and she would have preferred to be informed of the event much earlier. However, she wasn't about to give Rebekah any reason to criticize her work, not after their awkward lunch last week.

As she was debating which caterer to call first, she heard a light knock on her door.

"Come in." She called, crossing her fingers she wasn't receiving a visit from another Mikaelson.

"Hey." Caroline watched as Anna poked her head into the office and then stepped fully inside. "I hope I'm not coming at a bad time. I brought cinnamon buns." She said, holding up a white bag as a peace offering.

"From Francesca's?" Caroline asked, her mouth watering as Anna nodded her head. "God, get over here! This morning has been ridiculous and sugar is just what I need. How did you know?" She said, grabbing eagerly at the baked goods as Anna approached, a smile lighting up her face.

"You been so busy lately." Anna said as she sat down and opened her bag of goodies. "I thought maybe a bit of a bribe was the best way to get in here to chat."

"Hon, are you having school troubles again? Because you can always stop by to talk about that anytime if you need me." Caroline said sincerely.

"Actually, aside from still trying and failing to stay awake in my philosophy class, school is going really well. I really wanted to thank you for your help with my paper the other week; you are amazing! I'm pretty sure my prof thinks I'm some sort of tapestry genius." Anna laughed as she passed Caroline a cinnamon bun.

"It was my pleasure." Caroline said pleased to hear Anna's studies were going well and that there seemed to be no hard feelings for her earlier rude behaviour. "So what else brings you here today?"

"Kol's been hanging around." Anna said, scrunching her nose in distaste.

"He's not bothering you, is he?" Caroline asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

This wasn't the first time Anna had mentioned Kol, and though she knew Anna found him attractive, he was a handsome devil, she also knew Anna was very apprehensive about his interest in her. Kol was known for being quite the ladies man, care free with no commitment, while Anna was serious and driven. And if Caroline was honest, Kol was a difficult man to figure out, he never seemed invested in anything, he was always ready and willing to be lead off to the next pursuit. Whether his interest in Anna would last was anyone's guess.

"No, he wasn't bothering me. He hasn't come into to work this early in a long time, so I honestly think he didn't know what to do with himself. He said Gertrude kicked him out of restoration because he was such a nuisance, so he sat down next with me for a half an hour and greeted everyone who came through the door while I answered the phone. It was…strange." Anna said with a shrug. "So how's your day shaping up?" Anna asked, pulling the conversation away from Kol.

"Busy. Rebekah has assigned me a long list of tasks and I'm trying to do some research for a possible upcoming auction. Apparently we've acquired a Strad, and it might be time to have a 'musical instruments' auction. Historic violins aren't exactly my forte, so I've been trying to brush up this morning." Caroline explained, savouring bites of her cinnamon bun between sentences.

"Something Caroline James isn't an expert in? Colour me surprised!" Anna teased.

"Well I did watch a documentary on how Steinway handcrafts pianos around Christmas, but other than that my knowledge of instruments is pretty basic."

"Sometimes you are such a nerd Caroline." Anna quipped, shaking her head as she took a large bite of her own bun.

"It seemed like it might be helpful for the job. And I am compulsively motivated to be the best auction coordinator this side of the Atlantic. Besides I'd run out of sappy Hallmark channel Christmas movies to watch, so I had to pick something." She said with a grin. " I think my favourite this year was this one with a personal assistance who ran into a man in the elevator, sparks flew, and then she found out he was her boss' fiancé. But thankfully, due to the miracle of the Christmas spirit, and her party planning abilities, they ended up falling in love and everyone lived happily ever after." Caroline sighed.

"You are a true romantic." Anna observed.

"I like to think good things happen to good people…eventually." Caroline said frowning slightly as she looked down at her almost finished cinnamon bun. It didn't seem right to call herself a romantic anymore, not when there was no romance in her life: a conscious choice on her part.

"Well I should let you get back to your research, and I should get my butt back to the front desk." Anna said, standing up slowly. "There's another cinnamon bun in there, if you want a snack for later." She said with a wink.

"You are a goddess." Caroline groaned, opening the bag and breathing in the sweet and spicy smell.

"Oh! Before I go, I got a call at the front desk for you earlier this morning. I haven't gotten a call for you before; people who are trying to reach you usually have your direct extension. So I told him I'd check in to see if you were in today, I just wanted to stall him. Is it okay if I just patch him through next time? He said he'd call back, he seemed quite persistent." Caroline could feel Anna's eyes on her, but she wasn't quite sure what to say. "I should have just put him through, shouldn't I? I'm sorry Caroline." Anna said apologetically.

"No, don't worry about it!" She exclaimed. "You said he'd call back and I'm sure he will. I'm not sure who it might be, but for future reference you may, of course, put any calls for me through. I appreciate you asking, but really it's your job, put 'em through." She said cheerfully.

Anna smiled and nodded, walking to the door and slipping outside. Just as she'd almost left, she poked her head back inside the door.

"You know why I didn't put him through? I just remembered! He had your name wrong! I thought maybe he was confused, but he described you and I knew he was talking about you. But I guess it just seemed a little suspect."

"What did he call me?" Caroline asked, feeling uneasy.

"Caroline Forbes."

* * *

Klaus leaned forward menacingly, palms planted firmly on Caroline desk, his body taunt and upright, the chair behind him pushed backwards and forgotten. He only had to look down a couple of inches to meet Caroline's gaze, as she'd thrust her body forward aggressively, matching his position. They'd been pushing each other every second of the one-on-one interview, and neither one was interested in backing down now.

"I will not have anyone telling me how to do my job!" Klaus spit out, infuriated that Caroline was refusing to answer his questions.

"You cannot dictate to me!" Caroline cried back, her eyes shining.

"I can and I will. You will tell me what I want to know. Now!" He barked, quickly losing what little control he had left.

"I most certainly will not!" Caroline scoffed, her eye narrowing. "You have no right to ask me about my personal life, this is supposed to be a work related interview, not a personal investigation." Her voice was icy and her fists were clenched so tight her knuckles were bright white.

Though Klaus knew he should back down, he found himself unable to do anything but keep antagonizing her: pushing and pressing. He'd lost all vestiges of finesse some time ago, and he had little hope he'd find it again. When he'd come into her office for her security interview, Caroline had been cool and distant, barely looking him in the eye. When he'd hinted at their time together on the weekend, she'd called it a 'mistake'. His already simmering anger, fueled by Mikael's earlier dismissive attitude, had begun to boil. Caroline's refusal to answer the questions that had been plaguing him all weekend, _'Why had she reacted as she had at the auction? Was something in her life a threat? To her? To Mikaelson's?'_, had eaten up the last of his patience. He needed answers, and Caroline had thus far refused to provide an iota of useful information. His attempt to be understanding had been fruitless; it was time to demand and take, not cajole.

"I have every right to worm my way into your personal life if I believe it may be a threat to this company." He growled, voice low and deep. "You would do well to answer me Caroline." He threatened.

"Or what? What will you do Klaus?" She challenged, leaning even closer to him, only the desk between preventing her nose from touching his.

What would he do? Her words swam around his mind, as his baser urges surged forward and his eyes locked on her lips and her heaving breasts. What he'd like to do was pull her forward onto the desk, lock his lips onto hers and settle himself firmly between her thighs, showing her exactly who was in control. He was sure Caroline would match him beat for beat, he could almost feel her fingers sinking into his hair and pulling on his shirt, bringing him impossibly close to her, until they were both lying across her desk lost in each other.

"You know," She said softly, leaning away from him, arms crossed over her chest protectively, "you're not the first Mikaelson to rudely interrupt my day. And I'm going to say the same thing to you that I said earlier today: leave. I will not be spoken to so disrespectfully in my own office. You can go."

She motioned with her hand toward the door and Klaus could hear the fatigue in her voice, the exhaustion that he'd contributed to, and the guilt started to creep over him, inch by inch. He pushed himself back and slowly stood up straight. He had no idea what to say; he couldn't, he wouldn't admit he'd been wrong, but her words ate at him nonetheless. The interview seemed to flash in front of him all over again, swiftly and in vivid colour. This time instead of seeing only anger and rejection in Caroline's expressions, he saw how her face became tense and guarded when he began asking about the auction and her personal life. He had plowed forward, determined to have her bend to his line of questioning, and with anyone else he would have thrown out any threat or manipulative tactic he could draw on to get them to loosen their lips. With Caroline, however, her mere presence tilted him off axis and he found his typical threats could not be voiced. He could not lie and threaten her job, because he did not want to her leave. If he had to suffer through these months in New York, under the scrutiny of Mikael and his sibling, then he needed Caroline. He needed a light to guide him and he would not let it go.

"We will continue this another time." He said finally after several moments of silence between them.

He would not give up on her, on this, whatever it was. He frowned as he walked carefully to the door, flexing his fingers and swallowing thickly.

"I thought…" Her voice floated softly toward him as he gripped the doorframe tightly. "I thought we could be friends. This weekend, I thought you were someone who could be my friend, but I must have been crazy. Crazy to think an arrogant, controlling, smug bastard like you was even capable of having friends." Klaus could hear her quiet sigh, even from across the room.

"I'll always be a bastard love." He replied softly, staring at the grooves in the doorframe, stepping into the hallway, and then firmly closing the door.

He stood staring at the plain black office door for several moments, reading Caroline's name on the door over and over, wondering if he would ever get back inside again.

Turning sharply, Klaus sauntered back to his office, pushing aside his melancholy thoughts, determined to do everything in his power to find a way back into Caroline's life; starting with getting to the bottom of her secrets and discovering the source of her fear.

* * *

Caroline was staring her phone blankly, unable to stop her mind from replaying her encounter with Klaus. Her first glimpse of his face when he'd walked through her door had filled her with concern; he'd looked so grim and cold. But then she had simply steeled her resolve to stick with the plan she and Katherine had discussed: keeping her distance, establishing boundaries, and ending any semi-flirtatious moments filled with undercurrents of sexual tension that seemed to spring up whenever she and Klaus were sharing a room.

The interview had started out fine: a bit tense and cold perhaps. Caroline has been hesitant about what to say, and where to look, concerned that looking at his face would simply crumble the wall she had built around her heart. He had already made several dents over the past week, what with the water bottle and the tour of the basement. She hadn't wanted to be a complete bitch; she'd just wanted to pull them back into a strictly professional zone. But Klaus had seemed…off. There was something about the way he was sitting that didn't look right, as if he was holding himself rigidly upright, when his posture was usually casually confident. It had put her even more on edge to see him acting differently than normal. And a part of her hated that she was already so certain about what 'normal' Klaus was; how could she possibly feel she knew him so intimately after so little time?

So they had struggled through the first few questions, Caroline offering concise answers about her work duties and her implementation of restrictions in the restoration room, and Klaus sitting impassively in the chair across from her, never reacting to her responses in any way. Then he had asked about her life outside of work, and she had arched her brows at him and refused to answer, but he had pushed, and kept pushing until they were leaning on her desk yelling at each other. He was exhausting and exasperating! However, sitting here now, mulling over their heated argument, there was one small, but very significant positive she could take away from their encounter: she had never been afraid. And that, that lack of fear was a revelation. Angry voices, especially male voices usually caused Caroline to back away, or shiver involuntarily, flooded with unwanted memories of her former life. Today that had never happened: Klaus had been angry, but so had she and she had matched him, step for step, word for word. Despite her continued irritation with Klaus, somewhere deep down, Caroline was feeling quite proud of herself.

Just then, her telephone rang out, interrupting her thoughts.

"Hello, Caroline James' office." She answered, consciously making her voice sound professional, but inviting.

"Hello?" She repeated, but was met with only silence. _Seriously?_ Holding the receiver away from her ear momentarily, she looked down at her office phone to make sure it was still working, and then returned the receiver to her ear. "Hello?" She said on final time, raising her voice slightly.

Again she heard no reply. Caroline shrugged and hung up the phone. She did not have time for random crank calls or wrong numbers; it was past time she got back to work. Caroline sighed, and reached for her notebook, only to be startled once again by her phone ringing.

"Hello, Caroline James' office." She answered, unable to keep her frustration out of her voice.

"Caroline?" A familiar masculine voice replied. "Is that really you?"

Caroline nearly gasped out loud in shock at the voice on the other end of the line. It brought so many memories flashing back: late nights studying at the Bancroft library at Berkeley, delicately thumbing through old manuscripts together, drunkenly being carried home in a pair of strong arms after indulging far too much at a frat party freshman year, and lying on the grass basking in the California sun, laughing as his teased her about her inability to tan.

"Stefan?" She whispered, her voice hoarse and full of emotion.

"It's me Care." He replied softly. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

Caroline didn't know what to say. It had been a long time; but she had chosen her new life with great care and there was a very good reason why Stefan was not part of it. She missed Stefan, she truly did. He had been a soothing presence in her life, all calm intellectualism compared to her energetic enthusiasm: they had balanced each other out perfectly. How do you respond to someone you abandoned?

"Care, I'd really like to see you." Stefan said, breaking the silence.

"I…" Caroline struggled, still terrified about the consequences of seeing Stefan again, of dipping her toes into the swirling whirlpool of her past.

"I haven't seen him in years Care. I want you to know that, if it makes a difference." Caroline could hear the desperation in his voice.

He really wanted to see her again. Caroline had always pushed her thoughts away from how people must have reacted to her sudden disappearance five years ago. One day she had been graduating from Berkeley, the happy, hyper-organized sorority queen that everyone thought was about to get engaged to her long-term boyfriend, and the next day, she'd been gone. It had torn her heart apart to spend even a moment thinking about how Stefan, Bonnie and Elena, her best friends, had reacted to the sight of her room, stripped bare, as if she'd never been there. There'd been no goodbyes, no note: nothing. It was how it had to be, because of him, and it had been cruel and calculated. Hearing Stefan's voice, how he sounded so relieved to hear her voice, and yet so pained that it had been years since they'd spoken, Caroline knew what her answer had to be.

"I have some time after work." She answered cautiously. "We could meet for coffee?" She bit her lip: afraid he'd say no, afraid he'd say yes, afraid to see him, and afraid if she didn't take this chance she'd never see him again.

"Where?" He said instantly.

"Umm." Caroline hesitated, running through the cafés that she enjoyed that were not close to her home, since she wasn't ready to give Stefan all the details of her new life. "There's a nice café in the Lower East Side, Café Grumpy, we could meet there?"

Caroline heard Stefan say yes, and the rest of the conversation, her description of the café, her convoluted directions, and his quiet laughter, passed by in the blur. Before she knew it, she was left staring at the phone again, wondering what she'd just agreed to.

* * *

Klaus was sitting in his office, a coiled body of rage. It seemed unlikely his day could get any worse. He'd had to tolerate Mikael at 9am, and to compensate for the horrible start to the day he'd then threatened Richard in accounting and had quite enjoyed watching the bespectacled man tremble and shake in fear. Unfortunately any relief he'd achieved from threatening Richard, had been erased when he'd argued with Caroline, despite his good intentions to keep his temper in check, regardless of how it ate at his pride to know she'd snuck away from him in the wee hours of Sunday morning. He was going to try to be nice, and forgiving, two things he wasn't exactly an expert at, all the while trying to subtly, and if necessary not so subtly get information about Caroline's past and personal life. The whole encounter had been a failure of epic proportions.

He'd been far too emotional to continue with any one-on-one interviews, but thankfully he'd planned to spend the last few hours of the day doing paperwork. As he focused on relaxing his shoulders, he turned on his computer, decided to get down to work, and was immediately thrown off course when Kol barged into his office.

"Brother!" Kol announced cheerily as he strode in the room. "Beautiful day isn't it?"

"It's difficult to see the evidence from here brother. Perhaps you'd have more success in Elijah's corner office. It has something mine lacks: windows." Klaus replied drily.

"How do you put up with this dreary little hole Nik? Just being at the office all day is enough to make me want to tare my hair out." Kol smirked.

Klaus leaned back in his chair and studied his younger brother silently. He'd been aware Kol had been at the branch all day, which was quite out of character for him. He also recalled Caroline's comment about tossing another Mikaelson out of her office earlier today. Easily connecting the dots, he smiled wickedly.

"There wouldn't be a particular reason you've been at the office all day, would there?" He commented with false casualness.

"Just a whim." Kol replied, matching his brother's light tone, but failing to control his body language, as Klaus caught him picking at his fingernails and avoiding eye contact.

"Nothing to do with Miss James?" He pressed on, refusing to let his little brother win this battle of wills.

Kol glared at him, obviously quite put out at being discovered, but Klaus merely grinned in response.

"She gave me up did she? That little bitch, what a traitor." Kol muttered.

Klaus leaned forward slowly. "If you ever speak of Miss James in such a way again, I will pull your vocal cords out through your nose." He growled.

"Oh come now Nik." Kol said with a laugh, spreading his hands out in a placating gesture.

"If you think I am not aware that you and Rebekah are plotting something, you are mistaken. I do not appreciate you nosing your way into my life, but since you will both insist on continuing in this pointless pursuit, you will keep Miss James out of it." He directed. "Have I made myself clear?"

"Crystal." Kol said, far too agreeable for Klaus' taste.

"Out." He ordered, pointing to the door. "Get out."

* * *

Kol turned his back on his brother and happily waltzed out of his office. Between his conversation with Miss James this morning and Klaus this afternoon, it had been a very successful day of investigation. Closing the door with a devilish grin, his pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

"Bekah!" He said, full of glee at this recent turn of events. "I think I've made some progress in the investigation into our dear brother and Miss James."

* * *

Caroline was sitting at a small table at Café Grumpy, staring at the man across from her and then quickly dropping her gaze back down to her espresso. After saying their hellos and ordering, she and Stefan had been sitting, surrounded by an awkward silence that seemed to have no end in sight. How do you start a conversation with someone you haven't seen in five years? Someone you've kept so much from and still have so many secrets to keep. Caroline was painfully aware that someone had to make the first step, but she was simply too overwhelmed with fear to take on the responsibility herself.

"So are we just going to sit here and stare at our coffees?" Stefan teased.

Caroline brought her eyes back up to Stefan face and chuckled slightly at his words and the tentative smile on his face.

"I'm sorry." She said, painfully aware that her choices and actions were making this reconnection very difficult.

"So you're working in the art world." Stefan noted, lifting his eyebrows quizzically.

"Yes I am." She replied instantly, happy to talk about something neutral and relatively harmless. "I love my job." She said with a smile. "And what are you doing now?"

"I'm completing my doctorate. I'm studying classics, specializing in governmental structure in ancient Greece. I'm actually at Oxford, but I'm touring a few libraries here in the states. When Damon mentioned he'd caught a glimpse of you the other night, I made a quick trip to the city."

Caroline could feel her anxiety rise when Stefan mentioned Damon's name, and flashes of the fear she'd felt those few nights ago racked through her body. Choosing to focus on Stefan's accomplishments, she continued the conversation apprehensively.

"I'm glad to hear your studies are going so well Stefan. You were always made for the academic life; it sits so comfortably on you. I can totally picture you strolling around Oxford, living the life of a respected professor, wearing one of those jackets with the elbow patches." She said with a grin.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. Damon and our father have been less than pleased at my refusal to join the family business and focusing my life on making more money than I know what to do with." He replied wryly.

Caroline shook her head, commiserating with Stefan strained relationship with his family. He had always been the outlier of the Salvatore clan and had struggled to get any sense of understanding and acceptance from his father and brother. Caroline's own struggles with her parents had brought her and Stefan closer; they'd had many late night, semi-drunken talks about the frustrations that come from trying to please someone who just doesn't understand you in any way.

"I'm proud of you for going after your dreams." Caroline said happily.

"It seems you did the same." Stefan conceded.

"I did." Caroline sat up proudly, taking a quick sip of her espresso. "Much to everyone's surprise I'm sure." She added, glancing over the lip of her mug, a twinkle in her eye.

"You kept your interest in art well hidden." Stefan said, sounding more serious than Caroline liked. "You kept a lot of things well hidden actually."

Caroline set her mug down carefully, her body tense and her heart racing. She had really hoped that they would be able to dance around neutral subjects for a while longer before diving into the past.

"Some things need to stay hidden, Stefan." She said, gently swirling the last quarter of her espresso around in her cup. "I have my reasons."

"And it's been five years Care! Five years of me wondering, thinking of all the horrible things that might have happened to you! You could have been dead for all I knew! Can you really blame me for wanting to know, for wanting answers?" Stefan voice was controlled, but Caroline could sense the tight leash he had on his emotions.

Knowing she was going to have to give him something, Caroline chose her words carefully. "On the phone you said you hadn't seen him in years. You must have suspected my leaving had something to do with him, and you were right." She put her mug down carefully on the table and met Stefan's eyes, gathering all her strength as she continued. "I know you want answers. And there's this part of me, this huge part of me that wants to tell you everything. You were my best friend and I would have trusted you with almost anything five years ago, you have to know that. So I need for you to understand me now." Caroline took a steadying breath, and shakily pushed a few loose strands of her hair behind her ear. "If I could have told you why I was leaving five years ago, I would have. And if I felt I could tell you now I would. But I can't."

Caroline dropped her head down, and gripped her hands tightly in her lap, trying to prevent them from trembling.

"Care." Stefan's voice floated across the table, gentle and beckoning. "Come on Care look at me." He cajoled.

She peaked up at him, seeing his hand resting on the table between them, palm up, inviting her in. She hesitated, but then slowly raised her left hand and placed it in his, feeling his firm grip around her hand. She instantly felt secure, grounded, and safe; her trembling subsided and she let out the breath she'd been holding.

"I'm sorry Caroline. I shouldn't have pushed so hard, so fast. I want to be part of your life again, if you'll let me. I want my friend back." He said, squeezing her hand lightly to emphasize his words.

"If we're going to do this; be friends again, then we have to start fresh. No interrogations about the past, let's just start over from today." She insisted.

"It's a deal." Stefan said with a smile, squeezing her hand one last time before letting go, picking up his coffee and relaxing back in his seat.

* * *

Klaus stood silently, staring across the busy New York street at the coffee shop on the other side of the road. He had left his office at the end of the workday determined to stop by Caroline's office and try his hand at another conversation with his favourite feisty blonde. However, she had not been in her office, and he had been lucky to catch a glimpse of her leaving through the front doors. And so, in a move he wasn't exactly proud of, he'd followed her.

As he watched the faces in the glass-fronted window of the coffee shop, Klaus felt an unfamiliar tightness in his chest and ache in his heart. Caroline was sitting with a brown haired man, from this distance it was hard for Klaus to make out the details of his features, but he seemed young, handsome and completely captivated by Caroline. Klaus watched as the young man grasped Caroline's hand on the tabletop and his blood boiled. It ate at him to see her out with some other man, and it burned at his insides, because the truth was that he wanted Caroline for himself. He wanted to her go out in public with him, to hold his hand, and smile up at him from across the table. She was always so reserved, so careful. It seemed impossible that she would be out with a man unless she trusted him; she must trust this man more than she trusted him and it was infuriating.

Feeling his vision turn red, and unable to watch Caroline look so happy in the company of another man for a moment longer, Klaus turned away. His long, angry strides ate up the New York City blocks quickly, and he violently removed his phone from his pocket, punching in the numbers as he travelled. He gripped his phone with white knuckles as he waited for an answer: he was done wondering about Caroline; it was time to find out the truth.

"Alexei? It's Klaus. I have a name I'd like to you run for me." Klaus listened to the voice on the other end of the line carefully, and then continued. "I want everything, absolutely every bit of information you can find. I want to know everything."

* * *

**So there you have it! Hope you enjoyed all the twists and turns.**

**My writing pace has slowed a bit recently; life has just been busier. I will try to maintain the weekly updates, but I may have to space things out a bit more, we'll see. I promise to give all you lovely readers the heads up if updates will be happening less often.**

**Please review! Your input is amazing and so motivating! **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Another big thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed and favourited this story. I'm so excited to see that new people keep discovering and enjoying this story. Thank you to my betas as well for all their help with this chapter.**

**This chapter is formatted a bit differently then my previous chapters and it really gave me some trouble. I don't think it's my best effort, but it does cover some important ground, so I hope you enjoy it. Please pay attention to the headings, this chapter jumps around in time quite a bit.**

* * *

Chapter 11

_Friday, Evening of the Open House, Caroline's Apartment_

Caroline stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror that was usually hidden in her bedroom closet. She looked…beautiful. _I look beautiful. _She'd repeated that mantra to herself several times over the last ten minutes, but seemed to be no closer to actually believe the words and leaving the safety of her room. It had been years since Caroline had worn something so pretty. She wore a simple form fitting black pencil skirt, but her blouse was bright yellow, cheerful and sunny, with delicate round white pearl shaped buttons cascading down the front. She felt so removed from the Caroline of the past: the Caroline who would have loved this outfit, who would have sashayed with all the confidence in the world, happy to show off how good she looked.

Caroline wanted to groan in frustration at her hesitation, or at the very least, suck it up, straighten her spine and walk out to face Katherine. Her bossy friend had been looking forward to this moment for weeks, ever since Caroline had mentioned the Mikaelson's Open House night.

* * *

_Four Weeks Ago, Caroline's Apartment_

"There's going to be a what?" Katherine exclaimed, grabbing Caroline's shoulders and turning her away from the stove.

"Hey! I'm cooking us dinner here Kat!" Caroline laughed trying to get back to the curry she was cooking.

"No way." Katherine dug her fingers into Caroline shoulders, preventing her from getting back to her meal prep. "You are going to spill: all the detail. Now." Katherine commanded, finally letting go of Caroline when she sighed in defeat.

"I don't know much yet, to be honest. All of the staff just got an email about the upcoming special events this morning."

"Events. As in plural?" Katherine questioned.

"Yes, as in plural. Mikaelson's is having an Open House in a month, all employees and their families are invited." Caroline saw Katherine open her mouth to interrupt, so she forged ahead quickly. "Friends, including awesome neighbours like you, are also welcome for those employees who don't have family nearby. The second event isn't until the summer. Mikaelson's is coming up on their 10th anniversary in New York and they're having a ball to celebrate." She explained.

"A ball? They're having a ball? Those rich snobs are the shit!" Katherine cried, twirling around with glee. "I cannot wait to go shopping with you. We will find you a sexy, but professional look for this Open House thing, but I'm pulling out all the stops for the ball. You will give me final say, and I will make you, well you and me, the belles of the ball."

By the time she finished her little speech, Katherine was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Caroline couldn't help but give her an exasperated smile back.

"I have a limited budget you know." She said raising her eyebrows, before turning sideways and stirring the curry.

"I will agree to stay in budget, maybe even go so far as to comb through your current wardrobe and see if there's anything worth keeping in there, for the Open House outfit. But all bets, and budgets, are off for the ball. It's a ball! If you can't go all out for a ball, when can you?" Katherine insisted.

"I will give you the final say on which dress, that falls within what I deem is an affordable budget, I wear. How's that for a deal?" Caroline countered quickly.

"I believe you've picked up some fine negotiating skills from yours truly." Katherine said with a smile.

"Is that a yes? Do we have a deal?" Caroline prodded, arching one eyebrow.

"You are good Care. I taught you well." Katherine grinned. "Yes, my answer is yes. But I reserve the right to try and convince you to expand your budget at any time."

Caroline laughed lightly completely unsurprised that Katherine had snuck in a caveat to their deal. It was totally her style.

"So," Katherine continued, "how'd it go with Klaus today?"

Caroline felt her shoulders sag and kept her back turned to Katherine, staring at the curry on the stove as she stirred it mindlessly. Klaus had stirred things up today, but it was not him alone that had troubled her today: a visit from Kol, a random crank phone call, and a reconnection to her past had all combined with her fight with Klaus to add up to an absolutely wretched day. Collecting her thoughts, she turned down the heat on the supper she was making for herself and Katherine, and turned back around.

"It was a disaster. We were both on edge, right from the beginning, and he seemed off somehow, I can't put my finger on what it was, but it just put me completely on edge. All I can really say is it didn't go well. In the end we just ended up yelling at each other. I almost took a swipe at him, just like I said I wanted to weeks ago."

"And? I mean that wasn't exactly what we planned, but doesn't it get you what you want: distance?" Katherine asked.

"I suppose." Caroline conceded with a frown.

The truth was she felt divided about her encounter with Klaus. She had wanted distance, that was true, but yet she wanted to see him again. She wanted to see his dimples, and his stubbled jaw, but mostly she wanted to feel how he made her feel: challenged, strong, and adored. There was something about the way she felt when she was with him that was unlike anything she'd felt before and though their relationship was new, and shaky at best, she still felt a profound sense of loss. It was for the best though, this return to professionalism, this distance. She needed to stay strong and hold to her decisions, regardless of what Klaus might do or say. She had a feeling he wasn't going to sit back and quietly let her change their relationship, if you could call it a relationship, without a fight.

* * *

_Present time: Day of the Open House, Mikaelson's Auction House_

Klaus walked slowly, with great precision in front of the line up of security personnel. He'd added a couple extra bodies to the evening shift to help cover the Open House event, and he was taking this moment to give them all a good once over. After the last four weeks of bootcamp he'd put them through, most of them were terrified to meet his gaze.

Over the last month Klaus had done everything he could to be non-threatening and yet irresistible to Caroline. His efforts had thus far been almost completely in vain. Not surprisingly he'd had to find somewhere to take out his frustration. Kol had obliged to a couple more bouts in the boxing ring, but after being beaten badly both times, he had declined to go with Klaus ever again, unless he was interested in trying the underground, bareknuckle fighting ring Kol happened to know about. Despite the temptation of punching his brother with his bare hands, Klaus had declined, and instead turned his attention to upgrading the self-defense skills of the security team.

Klaus could remember the first day he'd arrived in the office after assigning all the security staff to attend a mandatory Krav Maga training session and instructing them to continue taking classes until they'd all earned at least a brown belt level. He'd stayed late to go a round with the instructor, and arrived at the office with a patched up nose (of course, broken nose and all, he'd won the match; he'd just been a little bloodied). It was the first time he'd seen her since the previous Monday, and again, Caroline left an impression.

* * *

_Three Weeks Ago, Mikaelson's Auction House_

Klaus wanted to rip the tape off his nose, despite the fact that the doctor had advised him to keep it in place, or risk his nose setting crooked. As he walked through the halls of the New York branch toward his office, he twitched his nose constantly hoping it might relieve the itchiness the tape was causing, without him actually having to touch his swollen, tender face in any way.

Just as he was approaching the door to the restoration room, it swung open and he had to fling out his hands in front of his body to protect his nose. He closed his eyes as the door hit his hands, greatly relieved to not have broken his nose twice in two days.

"I'm so sorry! Are you…"

Klaus' eyes flew open and locked on the bright blue ones now looking right at him. He felt like a man wandering the desert who'd finally found an oasis: after a week, he was finally face to face with Caroline, mere inches separating them. He drank in her face greedily: her pretty pink lips parted slightly as she gasped in surprise, her brow furrowed, and her eyes darting around his face, as if she too was taking in every detail as silence hung between them.

"What happened to your face?" Caroline inquired.

The genuine concern in her voice surprised and pleased Klaus greatly. She had almost convinced him over the course of the last week that the connection they'd developed meant nothing to her. But now, cracks were showing in her façade. The fact that she might have a man in her life, one she held hands with in coffee shops still irked, but it was certainly not a good enough reason for Klaus' interest in Caroline to diminish in any way.

"It's nothing. A trifling injury." He replied, preventing a smile from crossing his face at her concern for his wellbeing.

Caroline frowned and shook her head lightly. "Forget I asked. I do not care." She said firmly.

"You're lying." Klaus said, feeling a smirk immerge on his face.

"I am not!" She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Your denials are not very convincing, sweetheart." Klaus said, leaning closer to Caroline and enjoying the flush of her cheeks and her pursed rosy lips.

"You are an arrogant son of a bitch."

"Such judgments of my mother before you've even met her, tsk, tsk." Klaus said, straight faced.

"I am not…I would never…I'm sure you're mother is a lovely woman." Caroline stumbled awkwardly, now even redder in the face than she had been before.

Klaus couldn't contain his smile any longer, and chuckled lightly before ending Caroline's misery. "My mother is an ice queen. She's stuck up and superior and knows exactly how everything should be done. I'm sure most of the art world calls her a bitch, just not within earshot of her or her family." He explained. "I will let this one time slide, Caroline, but you would do well to hold your tongue in front of any other Mikaelson."

"Of course." Caroline agreed, looking down at the floor. "I didn't see you coming." Klaus watched Caroline's expression carefully; she looked so serious and contrite. He hadn't seen her coming either; how can you possibly anticipate when someone is going to walk into your life and change everything. "With the door, I mean, I couldn't see you. I'm sorry. I should go." She said staring up at him, not moving an inch. "I'm going now."

She moved quickly around him, pausing at his side. "Goodbye Mr. Mikaelson."

Klaus watched her scurry away down the hall, and counted how many times she peeked over her shoulder and looked back at him: three. Three times. He grinned in satisfaction: it was definitely time to woo his way back into Caroline's good graces.

* * *

_Present Day, Afternoon of the Open House: Caroline's Apartment_

This was starting to get ridiculous. If she didn't leave her room soon, she and Katherine were going to be late for the Open House. She'd purposely rushed home after work, because she'd only had a couple hours between when she'd ended her shift at 5pm to when the Open House began at 7:30pm to get changed and meet Katherine's high standards.

Turning quickly toward her bedroom door, determined to leave and face Katherine, Caroline caught a flash of colour out of the corner of her eye. _Damn that man!_ He'd been worming his way into her life all week. Even when he wasn't around, he seemed to have a way to make his presence known: everyone was talking about their one-on-one interviews with him in the lunchroom, the security team was muttering about his new martial arts training regime, half of them were excited and half of them were pissed off, and last, but certainly not least, when she'd visited with Gertrude in the backrooms to go over what antique instruments Elijah wanted them to auction off, Gertrude had baked another cake, carrot cake this time, and she'd made a point of saying Klaus had asked her to make it, because he felt it was just as good as her German chocolate cake. Gertrude had looked so pleased to be complemented on her baking, and the cake had been so delicious, Caroline couldn't even say he was wrong, but she could say that 'avoiding' thinking about Klaus Mikaelson had been a big failure, and she hadn't even gotten any little presents from him at that point.

Just as Caroline had suspected, Klaus was not the type to sit back and let things go; hence the presents. A week after their blow out fight in her office, and the afternoon after she'd seen him with what looked like a broken nose, she'd returned to her office at the end of the day to find a small package on her desk. Inside the small envelope had been two tickets to the ballet. There had been no note, no indication of who had left her the gift, but she'd known it was him. During the many hours they'd spent exploring the basement, they'd discussed many artists, including Degas, and Caroline had confessed she's wanted to be ballerina when she was a little girl, but when her parents split up she had to quit because her mother couldn't afford to pay for dance classes any longer. He'd remembered, and as much as she wanted to stomp down to his office and throw the tickets in his face, sending a clear message that her friendship could not be bought, she knew she would keep the tickets. And she had; she's kept the tickets, she'd taken Gertrude with her, and she'd cherished every moment of the ballet, including seeing a genuinely joyful smile on Gertrude's face as they'd both applauded the dancers at the end of the ballet. It had been a night to remember.

The ballet tickets had been followed by a beautiful pair of earrings; tiny little rose coloured flowers. They didn't look expensive, but they suited her taste so well, beautiful, but not flashy, she wanted to curse him for knowing her so well. But again, instead of giving them back, she'd taken them home and hidden them in the bottom of her jewelry box, hoping to forget about them and refusing to wear them.

But things had really come to a head last week, when he'd left a perfectly framed print of Van Gogh's 'Irises' outside her apartment. It had been the first thing she'd stumbled over when she'd opened her door, arms full of laundry on Saturday morning. And if the art itself wasn't bad enough (_because really, enough with the gifts, right?),_ her behaviour later that evening certainly had been.

* * *

_Saturday, one week ago: Caroline's Apartment_

"What do you mean you've never seen Buffy?" Katherine exclaimed. "How old is this kid Care? Should you be drinking? Do I need to take your wine away?"

"I am 22." Anna said, but immediately began to wither under Katherine's intense glare. "Okay, I'm almost 21, but I've had wine before. Besides we're staying in right? Caroline said it was a night to celebrate."

"And it is." Caroline affirmed. "Don't mind Katherine, you're just doing something she absolutely hates: making her feel old." Caroline said with a laugh.

"I am not old!" Katherine grumbled.

Caroline leaned over Anna's shoulder and whispered in her ear, "She's going to turn 30 this year. Seems to be putting her on edge."

"I can hear you, you know. And you're right behind me missy, 28 is awfully close to 30." Katherine added, gulping down half her glass of wine in one go.

"We are not going to drop this topic now." Caroline instructed. "I have prepared an amazing selection of appetizers and desserts, and we have enough alcohol to get pleasantly drunk. So, we are all going to celebrate." Caroline walked around the couch to face both Anna and Katherine who were seated. "Raise your glasses. Come on, ladies, raise your glasses!" She insisted, watching as they both slowly complied. "To Katherine and her latest legal victory, and to Anna, for acing her philosophy midterm, even though she sleeps though most of the classes! Cheers!"

Several hours and bottles of wine later, after a fall filled game of twister, Caroline, Katherine and Anna were all seated on the floor, backs leaning against the couch, engaged in a heated debate about Caroline's glasses.

"There is nothing wrong with my glasses!" Caroline insisted.

"Everything is wrong with your glasses." Katherine countered.

"Glasses can be hot." Anna interjected. "Like sexy secretary hot or naughty librarian."

"Neither of which Caroline is trying to emulate." Katherine pointed out.

"Hey!" Caroline protested. "I think I have days when I approach sexy secretary status – not that I'm purposely going for that. It's just sometimes you have to perch your glasses on the tip of nose and glare at people who are not doing their jobs up to standard."

"I'll tell you what," Katherine began, waving her wine glass in front of Caroline's face as she leaned forward, "You will go for the full sexy secretary look for this Open House thing – purposely."

"And you," Caroline bargained, pointing her finger at Katherine, "will not mention my glasses all night. Not a peep! Deal?"

"Deal." Katherine nodded. "But I am still hiding those specs for the ball. You won't be able to find them until the clock strikes midnight." She said with a giggle.

"I am not a Disney princess." Caroline said as she rolled her eyes. "And I have already agreed to not wear my glasses to the ball, in order to achieve your perfect plan."

"She has a perfect plan for the ball?" Anna asked, obviously intrigued.

"Katherine has a plan for everything. Her perfect plan for the ball involves finding a sugar daddy."

"And making Klaus weep with desperate desire when he sees you, but knows he can never have you." Katherine added with glee.

"Katherine!" Caroline hissed. "Anna doesn't know about 'you know who'."

"Well I guess she does now." Katherine said, not sounding the least bit apologetic. "In case I wasn't clear, Klaus, the mysterious Mikaelson, totally has the hots for Caroline. They spent a night of passion together at the office, she rejected him, and now - she's been trying to hide this last part from me, but I have my ways - he's been buying her trinkets and gifts to try to win her back."

"That is not what happened! There was no night of passion," Caroline frowned as Katherine shook her head aggressively, and Anna smirked in response. "I'm serious, she's lying. And Katherine is making this gift bit up completely." She said firmly, hoping she'd convinced someone.

"Well…" Anna began slowly. "You did have a package on your desk last week, and I seem to recall a delivery from Francesca's that went directly to your office this Tuesday, and I know you would never order baked goods delivered to your office. So it must have been someone trying to get into your good books, because everyone knows you'd sell you soul for a Francesca's cherry cheese Danish or cinnamon roll."

"Ha!" Cried Katherine. "I told you. He's wooing you Caroline. That's sneaky bastard. You have got to keep your guard up around that guy; he's like an evil genius. I both admire and hate him all at once. Mostly I hate him, because you do, and I'm all about solidarity sister." Katherine said, punching Caroline in the arm.

"Okay. Okay." Caroline said, holding her hands up and shaking her head in defeat. "Enough about Klaus. I don't want either of you to bring him up for the rest of the night." She pointing at her friends. "Got it?" Seeing them both nod, Anna quickly confirming her agreement, and Katherine reluctantly, Caroline smiled. "Now who wants to have a drunken dance party in my living room?"

* * *

_Later that Night_

It was ridiculously late when they finally stopped dancing and talking and drinking. Katherine had stumbled to her apartment down the hall, Caroline had set Anna up to sleep on the couch in the living room, and she had staggered off to her bedroom, hoping for a few hours sleep before dawn.

Now she that she as lying on her bed in her very quiet room, there was only one thing on her mind, and it wasn't sleep. Picking up her phone, she carefully punched in the numbers, determined to get the number right and waited for the answering machine to pick up.

"You can't do this to me you know." She said after the familiar beep. "Leaving me presents, buying me things. You can't buy friendship, or forgiveness, or whatever it is you're trying to earn back!" Her voice was getting higher pitched and more irritated as she went, but then she thought of the woman sleeping in the other room, and lowered her tone considerably. "And if you think that just because you bought me a Van Gogh print, even though you think he's overrated, that I'm going to be flattered, you've got another thing coming! Everyone likes Van Gogh. Everyone! How can you not appreciate his art, his colours, his life?! You must have a stone cold heart." Caroline sighed, lying back on her bed, letting her thoughts roam. "I should just stop thinking about you. You shouldn't have a place in my mind, in my life, but you just keep popping up, gifts or not. It's exasperating, and frustrating, and terrifying. How do you do that? Why do you do that to me?"

Caroline stared out her bedroom window, momentarily lost in her thoughts.

"You know what?" She said, suddenly standing up from her bed and rummaging through her bedside drawer, before sitting back down on the bed. "I am going to convince you that Van Gogh is amazing. When I first saw his art I spent days looking at his paintings. And then I found this song. Every time I listen to it, I see the beauty, I feel the beauty of Van Gogh's art, and you will too."

Caroline pulled up the song on her iPod and held it up to the phone, letting the music play. She hummed along quietly, getting lost in the melody, and the emotion of the song. As the last few notes of the song faded away, Caroline realized she'd been singing along without realizing it. She hung up her phone immediately, suddenly embarrassed by her drunken phone call, and her naked honesty. Pulling the covers over her head, Caroline closed her eyes and wished for sleep to claim her, buried in the blankets, hiding from her fears and her confessions.

* * *

_The Monday before the Open House: Klaus' Office_

Klaus pressed repeat on his answering machine, and relaxed back in his office chair, feet up on his desk, to listen, for the seventh time, his new favourite phone message of all time.

"You can't do this me…"

Klaus closed his eyes and smiled as Caroline's slightly slurred voice echoed through his office. At this point he had her entire monologue memorized. He really wasn't listening to her words anymore, he just liked to hear her voice, the raw honesty in her tone and inflection. Her drunken admissions were beyond satisfying; they were perfection.

"_Portraits hung in empty halls,"_ Klaus grinned happily in his chair as Caroline began to sing along with the song she'd decided to play for him; even in her drunken state her voice was pure, sincere, and haunting. _"Frame-less heads on nameless walls, with eyes that watch the world and can't forget, like the strangers that you've met. The ragged men in ragged clothes, the silver thorn of the bloody rose, lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow."_

Klaus almost fell out of his chair when he heard his door open. Sitting up quickly, he turned his phone off speaker, cutting Caroline's singing off abruptly, and glaring daggers at the sudden intruder.

"My apologies for surprising you brother." Elijah spoke smoothly, seating himself across from Klaus.

"No need for apologies 'Lijah. I should always expect you to stick you nose where it isn't wanted." Klaus grumbled with irritation. "What do you want this time?"

"I wanted to advise you to back off the security team. Your recent…intensity, shall we say, has caused a great deal of tension. I would like you to give them a break, let them feel they have achieved some success." Elijah explained.

"I thought you approved of more training? Particularly with the major social events coming up." Klaus challenged.

"I completely support the extra training, that is not what I want to change. I am referring to your recent attitude, which, if I am not mistaken, I can attribute to your recent troubles with Miss James?" Elijah questioned, eyebrows raised.

Klaus wanted to groan, roll his eyes, and punch his brother in the face all at once. His family's prying into his life and their nosiness was simply intolerable.

"The incessant need to know everything that is going on in my life is tiresome Elijah, both from you, and from Rebekah and Kol. My interest in Miss James, if there is such a thing, is my own, and not any business of yours." Klaus growled.

"I am only concerned about your recent short tempered attitude." Elijah said calmly.

"My ability to do my job has not been affected. My attitude was simply a device I employed to motivate the security staff. They needed a fire lit under them, and I created one: nothing more, nothing less. Now that they are all sufficiently invested in the new regime, I see no need to continue with my previous harsh attitude. I have achieved my objective. Satisfied?" He prodded Elijah, hoping to get his brother out of his office as soon as possible.

"Yes. I am satisfied." Elijah said slowly, looking down at his hands momentarily. "It is not a weakness to care for someone Niklaus."

"I believe I know what caring for someone means Elijah. It means betrayal, exposure, and it is the ultimate vulnerability. I am not fool enough to expose myself to such a trap again." Klaus forced out between clenched teeth. "I need to get back to my preparations Elijah." Klaus said as he turned his back on his brother, viewing his security plan for evening's Open House on the white board at the back of his office.

He stood stiffly, staring but not seeing the whiteboard in front of him until he heard the click of his office door closing. Once again surrounded by silence, Klaus turned back to his desk and leaned over it, palms pressed into the wooden surface. His pulse raced, and his muscles spasmed at his sibling's interference and Elijah's reminder of his own dark past. Punching a button on his phone aggressively, Klaus flexed his fingers as Caroline's soft voice rang out in his office. Slowly his grip on the desk loosened, Klaus sat back gently in his chair, reached over to his phone once more, and began replaying Caroline's message for the hundredth time of the week. When it ended, the song and Caroline's voice fading away, Klaus opened his eyes, leaned forward to his phone and pushed delete.

* * *

_The Night of the Open House: Caroline's Apartment_

Slowly opening the door, peeking her head around the doorframe before taking her final steps, Caroline finally left the confines of her bedroom. Katherine was standing in the living room; hand on hips, with an irritated look on her face.

"Finally! I wouldn't have thought you'd be one of those women who preens in front of the mirror for an hour. We have to get going." Katherine mentioned impatiently to the door. "Although it must be said: you look stunning." Katherine said with a satisfied smile. "All thanks to me."

"Yes I know. We can't be late." Caroline agreed, unwilling to talk about what had really kept her in her room for so long, though it certainly wasn't concern about her appearance.

The truth was it was not only her thoughts of Klaus that had kept her hiding in her room. Over the last four weeks Caroline's once secure life had begun to unravel. She had been afraid when she'd seen Damon, and then met with Stefan that her past would come back to haunt her. She had overstepped her bounds; she no longer had a clear separation between the Caroline of the past, and the Caroline of the present. As much as she relished her reconnection to Stefan, their frequent phone calls were a pleasure, and their last meeting in person before he left to go back to England had been wonderful and calming, their renewed friendship was the only positive aspect that had come from the last few weeks. It seemed her fears had not been mere flights of paranoia; they had been a foreshadowing of things to come. The past four weeks Caroline had felt as though she was always looking over her shoulder, afraid she was being watched, terrified another face from the past would come up from behind her.

At first she had shaken off her fears and her worries. She had reassured herself that she was overreacting, that she needed to relax and enjoy her life. But then the phone calls had begun. Always at her office number, always the same: no answer from the other end of the line, just silence, although sometimes she could swear she heard breathing. At first she had tried to shrug them off, a simple coincidence, nothing more. But they continued, at first a couple times a week, but then they increased in frequency, each week more and more often, until they were happening everyday. Caroline had started to dread going into her office, an icy cold spread through her body each time her phone rang, and her hands shook when she picked up the receiver. Relief would wash over her in waves when she heard a voice on the other end of the line, asking mundane questions about art and antiquities.

Caroline walked toward her apartment door with Katherine, telling herself once more that she was going to enjoy this Open House. Besides, she was not going to go to her office during the Open House, so she wouldn't be getting any creepy phone calls: none at all. Ridiculously chipper Caroline was going to make an appearance tonight and nothing was going to get in her way, not mysterious phone calls, and certainly not Klaus Mikaelson.

"Okay. Let's go." Caroline said decisively. "It's about time I introduced you to the Mikaelson's. I'm really looking forward to them meeting someone who can't be intimidated by them."

Katherine laughed a look of intense glee on her face at the prospect of throwing any, or possible all, of the uptight Mikaelson's off their game. Caroline smiled back at her, linked their arms together and confidently stepped out of her apartment. If she didn't really feel confident on the inside, then Caroline figured she would just smile, laugh, and stand with her shoulders back and her spine straight: fake it 'til you make it.

* * *

**Okay so that's all for now!**

**I apologize, but I will be slowing the pace of my updates. My goal will now be to post a chapter every other Friday. Please visit my profile for a more detailed explanation. Also my profile has links to art, music and other things I talk about in this fic, if you're interested in learning more.**

**Please review! Your words are so inspiring!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Surprise! An update! I was able to get this done faster than expected and decided it was only right to post for all you lovely readers! I will be updating every other week for now on however.**

**Thank you to everyone who was followed, favourited and reviewed this fic! Thanks also to my lovely betas for all their help and advice.**

* * *

Klaus felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket and paused beside his office door to answer it, hoping the call would be short since he was on his way to inspect the security set up one last time before the Open House began. He didn't have time to waste on trivialities.

"Klaus Mikaelson." He answered.

"Yes, Klaus. Hello." Replied an accented voice. "It is Alexei."

"Do you have what I asked for?"

"I have something. This woman she is hard to track, she hides well. I have very little to give you." He explained.

"Send me everything you have. Now. I'll review it later tonight." Klaus directed.

"It may take me a while to get to you- "

"I don't want excuses Alexei, I want results. If the information is not on my desk by the end of the day today, your payment will be cut in half."

Klaus hung up, not bothering to wait for Alexei's reply, his demand had been clear. Putting his phone away and striding out of his office, Klaus was feeling almost optimistic about the evening to come: he knew he would see Caroline at the Open House tonight, and if everything went well and his gifts had been as effective as he'd hoped, she might even speak to him. And now it appeared that whether she spoke to him or not, he might have some answers about her mysterious past. After several weeks of frustration with his security team, his siblings, and with Caroline, Klaus finally felt confident that his planning and plotting would produce some positive results.

* * *

Caroline walked into Mikaelson's New York branch, arm in arm with Katherine, and gazed out with satisfaction at the scene laid out before her. The open front foyer was bathed in a beautiful soft light, with brighter beams focused on various pieces of art and antiquities throughout the room. All the décor was subtle and tasteful, cream and grey with pops of champagne gold. Somehow, the room managed to look both tall and open, and yet intimate and cozy. Caroline loved it, and was proud to say she had worked for two weeks to convince Rebekah to choose more muted colours and had finally gotten her to agree; Caroline was certain Rebekah was going to be pleased. And if she went around acting as if the décor had been all her idea, so be it, Caroline could live with that; besides she knew the truth.

"Caroline…" started Katherine, looking all around the room with a look of awe on her face, "did you do all this?" She asked, turning to look at Caroline.

"I helped with the vision for the event, yes." Caroline stated. "The colour scheme was my idea, but you'll have to keep that to yourself; Rebekah gets all the credit in public." She said with a smile.

"It's beautiful Caroline. Truly beautiful." Katherine said returning Caroline's smile. "Now show me some of this high brow art stuff and introduce me to a Mikaelson or two!" She said, pulling Caroline forward into the foyer.

An hour later, after having met Gertrude, said hello to Anna, scared away Richard from accounting with a piercing glare, and looked at half the art and antiquities on display, Caroline could tell Katherine was loosing interest. So far the Mikaelson's had been scarce, they'd only had a glimpse of Kol, would was mostly surrounded by Leslie, Ashley and their friends, and Rebekah, who was making the rounds and speaking to everyone. Just then Caroline noticed Rebekah making her way toward them, and she gave Katherine a nudge.

"Rebekah is making her way over to us." She whispered.

"Excellent." Katherine said with a gleam in her eye. "This party really needs a little spicing up."

"Katherine, please don't do anything crazy." Caroline warned.

"I'll behave." She replied lightly, before turning to stand beside Caroline, a fake smile plastered on her face as Rebekah approached.

Caroline watched as Rebekah took the last few steps over to her and Katherine. She looked like a picture out of Cosmo: bouncing blonde curls, bright red lipstick, short flashy gold dress, and six inch heels. Even though Caroline was wearing something much nicer tonight than she would have chosen without Katherine's input, she still felt like an insignificant little speck beside Rebekah.

"Caroline." Rebekah said, acknowledging her formally when she was standing in front of them. "And who is your guest this evening?" She asked looking over at Katherine.

"I'm Katherine Pierce." Katherine jumped in confidently. "You must be Rebekah Mikaelson, Caroline has told me so much about you." She said with a smile that Caroline knew was far too sweet to be real.

Biting the inside of her lip to keep her face straight, Caroline looked between the two powerful, forceful women, wondering how this encounter was going to play out and hoping they didn't come to blows.

"And how do you know Caroline?" Rebekah asked pointedly. "You don't appear to be family."

"We're friends." Katherine said. "Surely you understand the concept. Or do you not have friends?" Katherine said icily.

"I have many friends." Rebekah said, her tone equally cold. "But the well bred young ladies with whom I spend my time have something you so clearly lack: class." Turning to face Caroline Rebekah continued before Katherine could speak again. "Perhaps next time you can select your guest more carefully Caroline. We have to maintain a certain imagine here at Mikaelson's; one of quality and refinement." And with that final parting blow, she turned on her heel and walked away.

"She is good." Katherine said, eyes narrowed as she watched Rebekah walk away. "She's a stuck up snob, but she's good."

"I'm surprised you let her have the last word." Caroline commented.

"I'm just lulling her into a false sense of security." Katherine said easily. "That is not the type of woman you attack while she can see you coming. You have to play nice, or stupid, and make her think she's in control, and then stab her in the back."

"You sound so ruthless. I didn't realize you had an elaborate plan to take down Rebekah Mikaelson. I thought you were on the lookout for a sugar daddy?" Caroline said, eyebrows raised.

"A girl can have multiple plots in the works." Katherine replied easily.

"I don't want to get in trouble here Katherine. I want to keep my job, and part of my job is keeping all the Mikaelson's, Rebekah included, happy." She cautioned.

"Yeah, yeah. I know Care. I will not screw things up for you, but I will not just let that woman walk around like she owns everything. Someone has to put her in her place and tell her she's a bitch and that person is me." Katherine declared confidently.

"Can I trust you not to start a brawl if I leave you alone for a couple minutes? I have to step into the back room and check on the caterers. It looks like we're low on food, and it's my responsibility to make sure things are running smoothly." Caroline explained, glancing over at the food table, which was looking far too scarce for her liking.

"Don't worry about me. I can keep things perfectly civil." Katherine assured her. "I'll just go check out some of those movie costumes you said are on display. They're in the restoration room, right?"

"Yes; just head to the back of the foyer, down the hall to your right. It should be well marked, I made sure we had signs." Caroline said craning her neck to try and see if any of the signs she'd had printed up had been posted where she'd instructed.

"Listen," Katherine touched her arm lightly, drawing Caroline's attention back to her, "I will be fine. Go sort out your little issue, and I'll be here when you get back." When Caroline hesitated slightly, Katherine laughed and gave her a little push. "Go!"

Chuckling at her own fear, obviously Katherine could handle herself, Caroline strode off toward lunchroom, where the caterers had been instructed to set up. The last thing she needed was Rebekah getting on her back because there weren't enough appetizers.

* * *

Elijah slipped into the restoration room, happy to find it scarcely populated. After only a few minutes mingling in the foyer with employees and their families, he'd been far too irritated by his younger siblings' behaviour to stay without risking an uncharacteristic outburst. He was, quite honestly, having a difficult time with all his family at the moment. Mikael was pushing for more results from Niklaus, and thus pushing him to push Niklaus, which was never a successful approach. Instead he had spent the last few weeks keeping a closer eye on Niklaus then he would have liked; and he knew his brother had his back up because of the scrutiny.

Not to mention, after the family dinner last month, Elijah had become aware that Caroline James was a person of interest for all three of his siblings, for reasons he did not initially understand. Though he hated becoming overly involved in the personal lives of his siblings, or his employees, he had had to investigate the situation further, if only to insure Miss James was performing her job adequately. And she was. She was more than adequate actually; she was superb. In fact, she was efficient and effective, despite interruptions from all of his younger siblings over the past few weeks. It had become apparent quite quickly that Miss James was caught up in a plot devised by Kol and Rebekah, a plot that had more to do with Niklaus, than with Miss James. Niklaus was much more subtle in his interactions with Miss James, watching her from afar, but it was clear he had taken an odd interest in the young woman. Elijah was not sure if he should be pleased, or concerned.

He had hoped for some answers tonight: all the employees and his siblings out in the open, where he could watch everything. However, he'd been late himself, delayed by yet another unexpected call from his father, Rebekah had been a typical social butterfly, who relied on Miss James to do all her dirty work, Kol was flirting, instead of thanking employees for their services, and Niklaus was no where to be seen. Frustrated at his lack of progress in understanding the current situation with Miss James, or in controlling his siblings, even for one night, he had escaped to the restoration room.

A small movement caught his eye and pulled him from his troubled thoughts. A petite, dark haired woman was bent over a display of jewelry in front of him, gazing down at the diamonds with a look of awe and envy on her face. He watched her quickly dart her head from side to side, biting her lip, checking to see if anyone was watching her, unable to see him from his position in the shadows in front of her. Apparently satisfied that she was alone with the jewelry, she stepped even closer and reached her hand forward.

"All of the displays are alarmed for security purposes." He said as he stepped forward, looking at the small brown haired woman from across the display.

She raised her delicate neck and looked him directly in the eye; she did not seem the least bit ashamed to have been caught in the act of trying to touch something that wasn't hers.

"That's a shame. This necklace was made to be worn, not observed." She replied, her brown eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Perhaps. Someone will pay for the privilege no doubt." Elijah commented wryly.

"Keeps you in business." The brown-eyed beauty said with a nod. "So you've never touched, or handled any of the art and antiquities you buy before they go to auction. There's never been something so irresistible that you just had to have it for yourself, even if only for a moment?" She asked, glancing between the necklace and his face slowly, eyes full of longing.

"It happens from time to time: an object that I myself desire comes through the Auction House." He began, feeling completely captivated by the young women before him and overwhelmed by the sudden desire to get her out of the restoration room and into a more private location as quickly as possible.

"And? What do you do? Do you give into your desire? Or can you resist temptation?" She challenged.

Elijah paused for a moment, giving this forward, confident young woman a slow once over from head to toe and back again, finally landing on her pert lips and shining eyes.

"I have been known to indulge on occasion." He said carefully. "Miss…" He paused, realizing suddenly that he did not know her name.

"Pierce. My name is Katherine Pierce." She replied, holding her hand out in the typical American fashion, ready for a handshake.

Grasping her hand lightly between his fingers, his twisted it slightly, brought it slowly, but deliberately to his mouth, kissing her knuckles lightly. Looking at her over the soft skin of her hand, he let a smile play over his lips as he lowered her hand gently, watching her captivated expression closely.

"Miss Pierce, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He said with a slight nod, finally releasing her hand completely. "Would you like to leave the confines of this party, and see my private collection?" He offered.

"I would." She said, but Elijah could hear the hesitation in her voice. "But on one condition." She added with a smirk.

"And what is your condition?" He inquired, quite interested to hear her response.

"I would like to wear the necklace." She said smugly, gesturing to the exquisite set of jewels she'd been admiring earlier. "I promise to give it back." She said, all innocence. "Consider it a short term loan."

"Why would you think I have the authority to loan you the necklace?" He said, pointing out a potential flaw in her plan.

"I have a good feeling about you." She replied with a confident smile. "It's possible I have some insider information." She added leaning closer to him, and lowering her voice as she did. "I'm a guest tonight, a good friend of mine works here and she gives excellent descriptions of her colleagues. You," She added now standing directly in front of him, lightly grasping hold of his tie and looking up at him with sassy confidence, "are exactly how she described her boss, and I think a man with that kind of power, in this type of tailored suit, could get me that necklace. Am I right Mr. Mikaelson?"

Elijah found himself completely memorized by Katherine's sexy confidence. There was a part of him who knew he was being played, that she had done this before with other men and that she would do it again to someone else, but there was another part of him who relished the opportunity to play the game with her and to show her that he was not some man to be played, that he was more than all the other men she'd pursued combined and she would never forget him.

"You are correct Miss Pierce." He gently removed her hand from his tie, wrapping his fingers up in hers and doing the same to her other hand, keeping her attention fully on him. "I will have to speak to the security guard momentarily and then I can make your dreams a reality." He promised.

"Can you really Mr. Mikaelson? All of my dreams?" She asked playfully, squeezing his hands.

"I shall endeavor to try." He vowed, bringing one of her hands up to his mouth once more, and sealing his words with a kiss. "And you can call me Elijah."

* * *

Klaus watched as Caroline stepped into the hall, leaving the lunch room with a visible huff and shake of her head. Seeing her lean back against the wall and close her eyes, he guessed she had once again been left to solve to the difficult problems that arose during an event, while his sister was off socializing and being flattered by guests.

"It seems my sister is inconveniencing you once again." He said as he approached Caroline stealthily.

He regretted his silent approach immediately when her body jerked in shock at his voice and she instantly stood at attention, facing him with her hands clenched tightly at her sides. He was pleased to see that once she saw him, her hands relaxed, and her face took on a scowl of exasperation.

"Do you have to sneak up on people like that?" She accused.

"It's a particular skill of mine." He answered. "I didn't mean to alarm you." He conceded. "I was merely concerned that Rebekah's tasks have been interfering with your enjoyment of tonight's festivities. The Open House is supposed to be a thanks to our employees, not an event that causes you undue stress."

"I'm not sure your sister agrees with that assessment." Caroline answered with a tired grin. "Besides, I was perfectly capable of handling this crisis. I don't anticipate any further issues with the caterers; my message was quite clear." She stated primly.

"Of that I have no doubt sweetheart." Klaus said with a grin.

Caroline was nothing if not maddeningly efficient. It was one of her qualities he most admired; no matter the circumstances, or her one personal troubles, Caroline always pushed through and completed her job.

Cocking his head to the side slightly, taking in her vibrantly coloured blouse and carefully applied make-up, Klaus asked the one question he wanted answered most, and yet the one he dreaded most.

"I hope you haven't kept your guest waiting too long?" He asked, deciding to try an indirect approach to get his ultimate question answered.

"It's only been a few minutes." Caroline said with a shrug.

"Some people aren't particularly patient or understanding." Klaus commented.

"Like you?" Caroline accused pointedly, arms crossed and brows arched.

"I have my moments." He admitted.

He could feel Caroline observing him closely, scrutinizing his face and examining his words. He knew he should apologize to her outright, but it was not so simple an act for him to admit defeat. He watched her let out a long breath, as if she too realized this recent statement was as close to an apology as she was likely to get, and she would have to be satisfied.

"I should get going." She said, but she stood still, staring at him intently, as if she wanted to say something, but couldn't bring herself to speak.

Deciding that he wasn't willing to let her go without getting the answers he needed, Klaus asked the dreaded question. "Worried your boyfriend will be upset at being left alone?"

It came out as more of an accusation than a question. Klaus could hear the tension and anger in his own voice and cursed himself for showing such vulnerability.

"Klaus," Caroline said tentatively, and Klaus hated the sympathy he could hear in her voice. "I'm here with my friend Katherine. I don't have a boyfriend." She added, a quizzical look on her face.

"When you refused to answer my questions the other week and you wanted to ignore whatever friendship we had built, I thought, perhaps, you had someone in your life. Someone who had suggested you not spend time with me." Klaus forced out, feeling awkward in his honest revelations.

"Listen, if you, if we, want to be friends, then we both have to be honest with each other." Caroline declared gesturing at herself and Klaus in turn. "The truth is, for me, opening up to people, especially men, it isn't easy. I like to keep to myself." Klaus watched her shuffle her feet and look down at the floor, considering her words carefully before continuing. "I had a bad experience in the past, trusting a man I shouldn't have. I want to change, I want to trust, but I need proof; I need you to show me I can trust you." Klaus felt his heart clench at the desperate edge to her voice.

"I am not a good man Caroline." Klaus began cautiously. "I never will be. But I will never hide myself or the truth from you, if that's is what you want."

"That's what I want, it's what I need." She confirmed.

"So…friends then?" He asked.

"Friends." She agreed nodding her head. "And no more random gifts!" She cried, pointing her finger at him accusingly. "Friendship cannot be bought."

"We'll have to agree to disagree on gifts, sweetheart." Klaus said with a smirk.

He was quite determined that now that he and Caroline had re-established their relationship, their friendship, that he very much looked forward to the day he could buy something for Caroline and see her reaction in person.

"Holidays and special occasions only then." Caroline bargained, a slight smile crossing her face. "I have to get back to Katherine." She said with a slight frown.

"Nervous she'll get up to no good are you?" Klaus teased.

"No!" Caroline immediately denied. "Well, maybe a little." She said with a laugh. "So will you be hiding in the shadows, or are you going to come out and say hello?" She prodded.

"I will likely stay in the shadows, as you say." He replied, although he would probably spend some time talking to Gertrude if he was able to pull himself away from evaluating the security team.

"Well, maybe I'll see you later then." Caroline said. "I should go." She said, taking a step back from him and heading back toward the main foyer and the party.

Klaus kept his eyes fixed on Caroline's form as she turned and walked down the hall away from him. Just as he had weeks earlier, he waited for her to look back at him, and just as she had before, she did look back, three times, just as before. But this time, she paused a fourth time, in the doorway to the foyer, holding the door open and looking at him. Klaus felt his pulse race at the thought that she didn't want to leave, that she would spend an extra minute just looking at him with a small smile on her face, one he knew he was returning. There was a softness and serenity to the moment that Klaus had seldom felt in his life; it made him feel off balance and yet he yearned for it to never end. But of course it did end; eventually Caroline let go of the door, gave him a small wave, and disappeared into the other room.

Klaus stood still for several minutes, staring at the door where Caroline had been, wishing she hadn't left, willing her to come back. It was a strange thing that despite knowing he would see Caroline again, knowing she had agreed to be friends, that she would not reject him should he run into her again tonight, that did not lessen his desire to have her, to keep her, to never let her go. It was extreme and desperate, but then Klaus had never been a simple man with easy emotions, and his feelings for Caroline were no exception: he wanted it all, every little piece of her, and he would do whatever it took to get her.

* * *

"Caroline!"

Hearing her name called out with such irritation and command, Caroline had to hold in a groan. Since she'd made her way back into the main foyer and joined her colleagues and their families at the Open House, she hadn't had a moment to relax, or any success in finding Katherine. Instead, Rebekah had been running her ragged with problem after problem she had to fix. First she'd wanted to check about whether Caroline had handled the caterers properly, then she'd had an issue with the lighting and Caroline had spent at least 45 minutes tracking down maintenance staff who could assist her in changing the brightness of the lighting, and lastly Rebekah had heard a guest report that someone had changed the displays in the restoration room. Rebekah had sent Caroline to get answers.

"Well?" Rebekah asked pointedly, foot tapping as she stood waiting for Caroline's reply.

"The display was altered. One of the necklaces was moved. Stuart, the security guard in the room said "Elijah Mikaelson himself" asked him to shut off the alarm and remove the necklace." Caroline rushed to continue as Rebekah's frown deepened. "I went to the backrooms and with Gertrude's help found a suitable replacement. The display is now perfectly complete and the new necklace is appropriately labeled." Caroline finished, biting the inside of her lip in hopes that Rebekah would be appeased.

"I suppose that will have to do then." Rebekah conceded. "It seems out of character for Elijah to change a display." Rebekah said, obviously puzzled. "I'll have to speak with him myself."

Without another word to Caroline, Rebekah left abruptly, evidently on the hunt for her brother. Caroline breathed a sigh of relief, it seemed she finally had time to do what she wanted: find Katherine.

Caroline walked calmly around the foyer in a circular pattern, smiling at her colleagues and their families as she moved. Unfortunately aside from finding a young man standing beside Ashley who didn't seem to be able to take his eyes off her, she didn't find anything out of the ordinary, nor did she see Katherine. Annoyed that Katherine had pulled a disappearing act and slightly put off by the intense and unwanted gaze of the young man in the foyer, Caroline decided to make her way into the restoration room.

Although the restoration room was now quite crowded, and Caroline had to make her way through the crowd several times to be sure, there was still no sign of Katherine. Deciding to check the bathrooms down the hall, Caroline headed through the door, only to be stopped short when she almost ran into a male body.

"Oh!" She exclaimed in surprise, skidding to a halt to avoid running into the young man who'd been staring at her earlier.

"Hey." He said confidently, apparently quite pleased to have literally run into her.

Crossing her arms protectively over her chest, Caroline began to wonder if he'd purposely gotten in her way. If he had, it was a complete dick move on his part and Caroline immediately glanced over his shoulder to check out her possible escape routes: she was pretty sure she didn't want to spend any more time in this guy's company than absolutely necessary.

"Hey," He said again, nodding at her smugly, "I'm Mike. What's your name beautiful?"

_Oh, gross. He's hitting on me! _

Twitching her nose in distaste, Caroline reluctantly replied. "My name is Miss James. I'm the Auction Coordinator here at Mikaelson's. Can I help you with something?" She asked using her best professional voice.

"How about we start with your phone number?" The cocky brown haired man offered. "Or we could just sneak out of here right now." He said suggestively leaning forward, in what was no doubt supposed to be a seductive way, but just made Caroline want to gag.

"Listen," Caroline began, her eyes darting anywhere but on the face of the young man across from her, "I'm really not interested."

Just as Caroline watched the young man in front of her take another step toward her, obviously not interested in respecting her 'no', Caroline spotted a familiar form down the hall.

"Excuse me." Caroline said with as much politeness as she could muster, while she aggressively pushed her way passed the far too forward young man and made her way down the hall quickly approaching the familiar face she'd spotted.

"Hey!" Caroline heard his voice sound behind her, but she just kept on walking. "Hey!"

_Seriously!? Give up already._

Just as she started to hear footsteps sound behind her, much to her dismay, she finally got within earshot of the person she was looking for.

"Klaus." She whispered. "Klaus!" She hissed, making her voice as loud as she dared.

"Yes sweetheart." Klaus said easily, turning to face her and she walked toward him as quickly as possible.

"Act like my boyfriend." She whispered as she approached him where he was lounging comfortably, leaning against the wall.

"Excuse me?" He asked with a smirk of amusement.

Standing as close to him as possible, her toes almost touching his, looking him squarely in the eye, Caroline repeated herself. "Act like my boyfriend." Seeing no change in his expression, she added desperately, "Please."

Klaus immediately moved his body upright, closing the last few inches between them, his chest brushing her breasts, causing her to shiver in anticipation of…something. As Klaus ran his hand lightly up her arm and brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, Caroline felt goose bumps bloom on her skin. As much as she'd wanted Klaus to hurry when she'd first come up to him, hurry and show this annoying and unlikeable guy that she was not available, now she languished in the way time had seemed to slow. It felt like she could stare into Klaus' eyes forever, except that his lips also drew her in and she wondered, not for the first time, what it would be like to feel them on hers.

As if they had a mind of their own, her own hands reached up, linking up behind Klaus' neck and slowly stroking the soft curling hair at the nape of his neck. Klaus' hand rested on her right cheek, stroking her face lightly, keeping her completely focused on him, until she could barely remember what she'd been running from or why she'd denied herself the chance to touch and be touched by Klaus for so many weeks. Because touching and being touched by Klaus was wonderful; his hair felt perfect between her fingers, the rough tips of his fingers on her cheek sent shivers up her spine, and their bodies seemed to sway closer and closer together. Finally, unable to resist the pull of Klaus' body, or the plumpness of his lower lip, Caroline leaned forward and touched her lips to his.

Her first thought was: soft. Klaus' lips were as soft and plump as they had appeared they would be the first day she'd laid eyes on him. Initially Klaus remained still, and Caroline felt her bold and unexpected move must have momentarily shocked him. Undaunted by Klaus' lack of reaction, Caroline felt a smile bloom inside of her as she slowly and thoroughly moved her lips against Klaus', moving from one side of his mouth to the other and then carefully tracing the outline of his pouty lower lip.

Feeling Caroline's tongue against his lip seemed to be the key to electrify Klaus and he suddenly burst into action. The hand that had once rested gently on her cheek, wound itself possessively into her hair and his other hand pressed hotly into the small of her back, pulling her body firmly into his.

Perhaps the kiss lasted for a few seconds, maybe a minute, possibly an hour; Caroline had no sense of time passing once Klaus began to move his lips on hers. There were only hands, hers and his, clutching and stroking, grasping and holding; there were only lips, soft and hard, gentle and demanding, full of hunger and adoration. There was no space for time amidst the swirl of emotion and the burst of physical need.

It wasn't until Klaus' tongue dipped into her mouth, caressing her own tongue possessively and seductively, causing Caroline to moan, that she startled herself out of the haze she'd been in. Suddenly realizing where she was, what she was doing, and why she had approached Klaus in the first place, Caroline pulled her mouth immediately away from Klaus and promptly buried her head in his shoulder.

* * *

Klaus stroked Caroline's hair gently, eyes closed, breathing in the scent of her, his nose pressed into the top of her head as he recovered from the pleasurable surprise of kissing the woman he'd been dreaming of for the last month and a half. He savoured the feel of Caroline's body pressed close to his, even if her she had abruptly ended their kiss.

Disturbed by the sound of shuffling feet nearby, Klaus reluctantly opened his eyes and peered out over Caroline's shoulder. He found a young man, rudely staring at them, mouth agape.

"You got a problem mate?" Klaus said quietly, but pointedly addressing the young man.

Closing his mouth instantly, the man before Klaus could only shake his head in denial apparently robbed of his ability to speak. Glowering at the young man until he turned and practically ran down the hall, Klaus let out a breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding. Feeling Caroline's body shaking in his arms, Klaus dropped his head back down to focus on her, concerned she was embarrassed about possibly being observed. Hearing a rather undignified snort emerge from the face on his shoulder, Klaus realized that Caroline was shaking with laughter.

"Something amusing love?" Klaus asked.

"Oh my god." Caroline said, followed by uncontrolled chuckles. "I knew you would scare him away, but I can't believe he just stood there! What is wrong with him? Who does that?" She raised her head enough to look Klaus in the eye momentarily, but then bent her head once more, overcome with another fit of giggles.

Finding that Caroline's words caused several things to fall into place, most importantly why she had rushed up to him and asked him to 'act like her boyfriend', Klaus found himself chuckling lightly along, partly due to Caroline's own laughter, and partly to remind himself that 'the kiss' had been nothing more than an act.

"Happy to be of service sweetheart." He commented, trying to keep any bitterness out of his voice.

Caroline lifted her head from his shoulder, stepped back and brushed the fabric of his button-down shirt, as if fixing any wrinkles she may have caused. After a few moments focused on fixing imaginary faults, Caroline looked up at him, a brilliant smile on her face. Any anger Klaus had felt about the kiss moments before disappeared, and his was flooded with a sense of elation that he had contributed to that look on Caroline's face.

"Thank you." She said, with complete sincerity. "I know I shouldn't have asked and I certainly shouldn't have kissed you, but thank you so much. You were there for me when I needed you and that means more to me than I can ever say."

"You're welcome." Klaus replied both uncomfortable and pleased to have Caroline's gratitude. "But I will never forget that kiss Caroline and I suspect you won't either." He said with a smirk.

"Well… I would prefer we put the kiss behind us." Caroline said primly, holding her hands in front of her body. "We've agreed to be friends and I think that's for the best." She stated firmly with a nod of her head.

"Whatever you say love." Klaus agreed, amused at her determination to ignore the kiss, despite the flush in her cheeks after acknowledging it.

Caroline frowned at him, obviously doubting his sincerity. She then opened her mouth, but paused, shuffling her feet and rearranging her hands.

"Listen, I'd like to ask you a favour." Caroline finally forced out. "You obviously have some self-defense skills, I've heard the security team talking about it, and, well, I'd like you to teach me."

"And is there any particular reason for this sudden need for self-protection?" Klaus inquired, concerned at the nature of Caroline's favour; he did not like to think Caroline was afraid for her own safety, despite his suspicions about her previous behaviour.

"No particular reason." Caroline said primly.

Klaus stared at her intently, completely sure she was not telling the truth.

Crumbling under his gaze, Caroline hastily added, "I may have taken your previous comment to heart, about the dangers of running alone in the morning. Since it's your fault I'm now paranoid during my morning run, it seems only fair that you be the one to help me fix the issue."

Watching Caroline avert her gaze from his and wring her hands, Klaus suspected that she had told him some version of the truth, but not the real reason behind her request. Not that he would refuse to help her. Any opportunity to spend time with Caroline was something he was going to grab onto with both hands. He was also in favour of giving Caroline the skills she needed to defend herself, he'd taught Rebekah some basics when she was a teenager and she begrudgingly allowed him to refresh her skills whenever they happened to be in the same city together for more than a few days. If Caroline was afraid of someone, and the auction last month suggested she was, he would be more than happy to teach her the skills she needed to put any man flat on his back. Tightly controlling the raging anger he felt that anyone should make Caroline feel threatened, Klaus took a deep breath and clasped his hands behind his back before responding.

"It would be my pleasure."

Caroline's relieved smile tugged at Klaus previously unused heartstrings. Her gratitude only steeled his resolve to assist in giving Caroline all the confidence she needed to fight off her demons.

"I should go, I guess." Caroline said with a sad smile. "It's getting late."

"Did you find your friend then?" Klaus asked, hoping to keep Caroline by his side for a few more moments.

"No." Caroline said with an exasperated sigh. "I seem to have lost her. I'm not sure art is really her thing, she more the type who likes a good debate, or a few beers and a crowded dance floor, not a night out at a museum."

"Perhaps she decided to leave for better prospects." Klaus suggested.

"Maybe. It's really not like her to not let me know." Caroline said with a frown.

"Are you worried about her?" Klaus wondered, it was possible for him to pull some strings and try to track her down if it would ease Caroline's mind.

"No. Katherine can take care of herself. I should check my phone anyway, she might have left me a message. I stashed my coat and purse in my office, I should go get them and make my way home." Caroline outlined, gesturing as she talked, still appearing to be slightly on edge.

"May I walk you home?" Klaus asked, peeking up at Caroline from under hooded eyes. "We could discuss when and where to meet for your first self-defense training session." He added, sensing her hesitation.

Caroline looked at him, head tilted to the side as if considering his offer carefully. Klaus forced himself to breathe normally and keep his posture steady while Caroline thought through her response.

"Okay." She replied.

Klaus smiled, a genuine smile of satisfaction. Things were going much better than he'd thought they would, despite his ever present concerns about Caroline's past. And although he knew there was a package waiting for him on his desk, potentially full of many of the details he yearned to discover, he was more than willing to put his search on hold for more time with Caroline.

Klaus stepped forward confidently, and offered Caroline his arm. Scoffing at his gallant gesture, Caroline nonetheless linked her arm into his.

"Such a gentleman." She said as they began to walk down the hall.

"Only for you Caroline. Only for you." Klaus replied.

* * *

**So...I hope you liked the kiss! And the Kalijah. I've never really written so much 'romance' before, hopefully I hit the right notes.**

**My apologies again for the slower pace. Please see my profile for a more detailed explanation and for links to the music/art from this fic.**

**Please review! Your feedback makes my day!**


End file.
